Batman And Nightwing : The True Alien Vs Predator
by Jcarlton
Summary: A continuation of Batman : Dead End, and a story to tie in the two greatest scifi universes : Alien and Predator. All those who hated 2004's AvP movie are welcome.
1. Chapter 1

Batman and Nightwing : The True Alien Vs Predator

Author's note (Please read – story will make much more sense if you do)

I've been a fan of the great Alien and Predator movies ever since I first saw them, back when I was in grade school in the late 1980's. Of course, lots has changed since then, but as far as my interest in these franchises go, those stayed constant. I happily own the 4 Alien movies on DVD and the 2 Predator movies on tape, and while Aliens will always be my favorite among that series of six (who _doesn't_ agree with that? ), my second-favorites are Alien Resurrection and Predator 2. I realize that these two films aren't fan favorites, but if you're wondering why I enjoy them so, please check out the reviews for them at the imdb, both at under the title for each film, and written by my screen name – Johnnycage10.

Then, of course, we were subjected to a painful sequel to both franchises in the horribly-made Alien Vs Predator in 2004, which was one of the worst movies ever made and a waste of $60 million. As far as I'm concerned, that piece of garbage doesn't exist and doesn't deserve to have the same title as the previous six films.

Afterwards, totally ignoring the trauma that was AVP, I got to see Batman : Dead End, and absolutely loved it. In my view, BDE is the true AVP.

Which brings us to this story. This fanfiction is written as a continuation of Dead End, but is also a mixture between that great film and the Batman animated series (the best cartoon ever, and one of the best things ever done to film overall), in particular to two characters from the cartoon in addition to Batman – Dick Grayson and Harley Quinn.

Dick Grayson started off as Batman's second-in-command, Robin, who accomplished the nearly impossible task of appearing handsome while dressed in red and green. Later on, he parted ways with Batman on bad terms and became an independent crimefighter as Nightwing. Fortunately, they partnered up and worked together later, which was nice to see since their rift didn't last indefinitely.

Once he left as Robin, that character was replaced by 10-year old Tim, who was both annoying and painfully unrealistic (who got the bright idea of putting a 10-year old out on the streets so he could fight crime?). And we were introduced to Barbara Gordon as Batgirl to serve next to Batman, who had no fire and depth within her whatsoever (apparently, some toothpick can become a superhero by just picking up an outfit and a fancy name). IMO, there was only one true second-in-command to Batman, and that was Grayson.

Harley Quinn, on the other hand, is usually a villainess, as the blonde girlfriend to the conniving Joker. She was given a very good episode to star in the Batman animated series called Harley's Holiday, where she was allowed out of Arkham Asylum due to having completed her sentence, but ended up being taken back by Batman and Robin due to panicking and breaking the law when she didn't intend to. As she and Batman parted ways, they shared a kiss that was both fun to watch and surprising, and it left me wondering if they'd be an item in the future, if she saw the light and stopped committing crimes, of course.

Unfortunately, that wasn't to be the case and in future episodes of the animated series, Harley returned to being just a typical villainess and there were no recollections of the intimacy shared between her and the hero.

Personally, one of the few things I disliked about this cartoon (or maybe the only thing) is that none of the women that Batman had a relationship with ever stayed with him. The show was obsessed with making sure this character lived alone, even when there was no reason to break up the chemistry between him and the woman he was seeing at the time. Andrea Beaumont (aka Phantasm) left after the great Mask Of The Phantasm movie, though she could've easily stayed. And Selena Kyle (aka Catwoman) actually stopped being a villainess and became a heroine for some time, only to then return to being a typical criminal in future episodes with no recollection of her heroics. Thirdly, the only love interest who left Batman in a believable way was Talia, who ended up having to choose between her adoration of him and her loyalty to her father, criminal mastermind Ra's Al Ghul, and she picked the latter. But except for Talia's decision, Andrea's and Selena's choices to not stay with Batman just didn't make sense.

So I broke into unfamiliar ground here and insisted on doing what the writers of the great cartoon never did – I gave Batman a steady girlfriend. Though Talia, Andrea and Selena were cool characters, I decided on going with Harley since her personality was the most different to his, and hopefully the quirks in that interaction would be interesting to read.

While the interaction between Batman and the Predators is believable enough, as Predators hunt in modern-day Earth in the two movies, seeing the presence of an Alien in Dead End is obviously a mystery since those creatures were introduced several centuries later and on another planet (again, AVP never happened). In this story, I tried to link the three ultra-cool universes between Batman, Predator and Alien, and hopefully I did a decent job out of it to make the story be believable and realistic. Only you as the reader can decide if I succeeded, of course. So I hope I did.

So it's because of that attempted link between the three universes that forced me to have the Predators speak as much as they do here, which is in contrast to the difficulty they had in pronouncing English words at the end of Predator 2.

Thus, after a fairly long time spent on debating whether I should write new fanfiction (haven't written since 1996, though my old work is here on my favorite author of all time delighted me by agreeing to co-author this story. That greatest writer of all time that I'm talking about is none other than Shakahnna, who writes the marvelous Resident Evil Damnation here on And I'm very proud of having written this tale alongside her.

It should also be noted that I use a specific way of telling the progression of time in this story, as the first line of every new section is given a certain update regarding how much time passed from the end of the previous scene. For example, the opening scene starts with "10 seconds later", as that scenario is taking place 10 seconds after the conclusion of Batman : Dead End. Hope that made sense :)

And granted this story won't make sense if you haven't watched BDE first, but there's no point in telling you what happens there if you haven't already seen it. My advice is to just watch that 8-minute long masterpiece and then enjoy this story afterwards. Plus, considering that it's available to download for free by just putting the title in a search engine online, finding it shouldn't be difficult.

One last factor to mention in this story is the use of comic book environments, and my own personal connection to them. I grew up idolizing what comic books stood for, but not usually what they were marketed as. I adore the idea of heroes/heroines who do such a dangerous job, that they must hide their identities behind a mask and a fake name, sometimes even from their loved ones. It makes sense when dealing with dangerous criminals and monsters. These protagonists are supposed to be 90 percent attitude, and 10 percent superpowers, costume, name, etc.

Unfortunately, comics are pandered where it's usually the other way around, where abilities, costume and name are all that matters, to the point where it's impossible to tell one character's attitude from another. The string of recent sub-par films like the Spiderman and X-men movies proves this to me, and don't get me started on the appearance of most characters who look like they're men on steroids, or women who are starved after they had breast implants. And it's also amazing to me that while the idea of superheroes is to go to the areas that have the highest crime, most comics/movies seem to think that crime only occurs in upper-class, clean, friendly neighbourhoods.

I like to think that this story portrays my personal idea of what comics are, where costumed heroes are the exception (double identities DO lose their meanings when everyone has one), and where the protagonists go where the crimes are (in the worst areas of the city). Little superpowers, a reliance on costumes only because it's needed, some weapons, but mostly attitude and talent that are earned with discipline and experience. It's supposed to be a compliment to be sent to the worst areas, after all, because it means one is the best. It includes not worrying about politics, or image, which seems to run the majority of the world in real-life. I know it's possible for something like it to exist in real-life. It's just very rare.

Lastly, I would like to dedicate this story specifically to a very cool person I met on She is Shakahnna, who, as said before, writes the best story anywhere, period. But generally, BAN:TTAVP is dedicated to everyone out there who believes that the heroics in comics, movies, TV and video games aren't just works of fiction, but rather ideals to aspire towards in real life.

So without further distractions, I hope you enjoy the story. Reviews will always be welcome, whether they're positive or negative, on either this fanfiction site or sent to my email account, but they're not necessary. The biggest compliment someone can pay me is to think that this story is worthy to be called Predator 3 or Alien 5, but only you can decide if it is.

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10 seconds later+

He spun around where he stood, not daring to remain still, gripping a curved blade in each hand as he did. Surrounded by five of the vertical-standing, two-legged creatures, and four more of the hunched-over, black-skinned reptilian ones, Batman heard himself panting. He had to ignore his fatigue, though, as he inspected his nine adversaries, the wound on his stomach only making it more difficult to breathe.

While he momentarily kept each of the nine foes at bay, he caught a glimpse of the dead reptilian monster who had pounced on him earlier, before it had been shot in the head in its own turn. He also threw a glance off in the distance, towards the two-legged aggressor who had saved his life from the four-legged beast and then insisted on fighting him. That particular individual was finally rising from the kneeling position he had been in for the last minute, ever since having lost the battle against the caped crusader.

In another place and time, Batman would've thought about the situation at length. He definitely found it strange that the creature had remained on his knees after being wounded during combat, since the human in that dark alleyway remembered not delivering a fatal blow after breaking his right wristblades off. Instead, Batman had wounded and overcome him physically before the creature dropped into a kneeling position, after which the masked human could've executed him with ease.

Of course, Batman didn't go along with his initial reflex to deliver the killing blow. That was one of the few factors he believed since the first day he lived his double life, and which remained unchanged even to this day. While other, less important, variables were watered down, compromised or even changed over the years, his steadfastness on never taking a life while on the job had remained the same. That was even if he was dealing with the life of an attacker that he wasn't sure was a human being.

But, returning to the present time and place, Batman noticed that his defeated adversary was now back on his feet. For some unknown reason, though, this foe was refusing to join his brethren in surrounding and inching closer towards the human in their effort to defeat him. The caped crusader didn't have time to wonder why this particular monster was holding back. Not while nine other antagonists continued moving nearer to him from all sides, coming closer until Batman growled without planning on doing so, always turning around where he stood.

The small-knit group of attackers stopped and actually took a step back at the sign of his aggression, knowing that such a powerful prey would be dangerous when injured or cornered, and especially when it was both. But after a short stop, they continued closing in, with the same scenario as before - the first five assailants emitting a sharp, clicking noise from where their mouth should be, while the other four reptilian creatures hissed loudly, drooling on the ground, some of them even protruding a smaller mouth from within their main one. And the two species of creatures definitely did not get along, the five members of the former and the four members of the latter segregated in two different half-circles. But the two groups still moved towards their target from opposite ends, most likely putting their differences aside until the human in their midst was dealt with. Batman suspected that it was only after they dealt with him that they would return to their previous hostility against each other, especially after a member of the clicking, two-legged fighters had killed one of the hissing, salivating monsters.

And why was that particular creature still standing away from his own group instead of joining the rest of his kind in their effort to annihilate him?

Batman shook his head. Now wasn't the time for such questions, not when there was a good chance he wasn't going to live through the next few minutes. Nine formidable opponents, each of which was easily as strong as he was, had already made up their mind that he wouldn't leave this alleyway in one piece.

Many ideas raced through the human's mind.

Could he use his pre-pressurized grappling hook to find a hold on the surface of one of the many buildings that loomed overhead, and then retract the hook so it'd sail him out of the danger zone? Or at least, could he do so before one of the nine creatures pounced on him and eviscerated him during the precious instant he needed to carry out the manoeuvre? He knew that the two-legged monsters could fire a projectile, and he wasn't certain how agile the four-legged ones were. He guessed he could always take his chances that the former opponents would miss if firing against him while he was gliding upwards through the air. But what bothered him about that possible plan was that he knew the odds of him using the grappling hook and then escaping via it were small, considering that the circle of nine deadly adversaries had him as its centre. And the radius between himself and the nearest aggressor was only about ten feet.

There was always the possibility of activating gas canisters against the ground and hoping that he could make his retreat in the confusion, assuming that either of these two species were affected by the gas. But if they weren't, the initial thick fog created by those canisters may have proved advantageous even if neither group of beasts ended up coughing as a result of them.

He would most likely decide to go with the second option, seeing as to how the monsters were becoming more and more belligerent as time went on, and Batman already knew he didn't have more time to come up with a third idea. Not when he knew as well as any of his opponents that the tightening circle around him could've killed him at any time. Fortunately, the individual members of the two clusters were wary of being the first to attack him, since they had most likely seen how well he fared against the sixth two-legged creature that he defeated earlier.

After the first member of either species had pounced on him, it would be putting its life on the line as Batman fought back, and possibly killed it, before the other eight fighters moved in to destroy the human. It was that apprehension of being the first expendable attacker that had kept this group from dismembering him already, and the masked human realized that. But even that anxiety wouldn't hold for very long.

And how had he not spotted the presence of the other five two-legged spectators or the four reptilian ones when he was dealing with the Joker, and was then attacked by the currently-dead monster, and had then fought the sixth member of the humanoid group?

Batman shook his head. This was the second time tonight he had been distracted with unimportant questions, and he couldn't keep doing so if he wanted to retain the already-small odds he had of leaving his alley alive.

More clicks, more hisses, coming from all around him. So the masked champion put away the curved blade in his right hand and swiftly reached for and felt the smooth, circular gas canisters which were tucked within his utility belt. He held his breath while he was about to withdraw them, locking his eyes with what he assumed to be the eyes of as many of his opponents as he did so. It was then that he was interrupted by a whooshing sound that thundered from the sky above.

Batman looked up by reflex, as did the other ten beings in the dark passageway, only to spot the Batwing that was high up in the night air, and diving towards the rooftop of the buildings that surrounded that area. Whoever was piloting the flying craft came dangerously close to the roofs that were on both sides of the alley, but then levelled the Batwing so it was gliding parallel to the building tops.

A machinegun erupted, the yellow flashes bursting from the tip of the Batwing as the pilot opened fire. The first several rounds punched holes into the ground behind the group of non-human attackers, while the subsequent ones found their mark against some of the assailants themselves. Two of the black-skinned monsters were struck, as was one of the vertical creatures, all three of which had been part of the large circle that was closing in on Gotham City's protector. The two members of the former group shrieked as watery, yellow blood erupted from their torso, while the third of the latter team screamed an inhuman cry as bright green blood burst out of the several holes that appeared on his chest. All three creatures collapsed, in different states of dying, as the other six members who had been closing in against Batman quickly dispersed.

The human saw that the two surviving reptilian monsters left their three dead behind as they leapt onto the side of the buildings that surrounded the alleyway and retreated by galloping vertically up the walls. He also witnessed that the four members of the two-legged species who had surrounded him but hadn't been struck simply ran to another wall within the area. Then, surprising even the caped crusader, all four turned nearly invisible, though the rough shape of their outline could still be seen, assuming one knew where to look beforehand. Ignoring Batman, the four creatures turned their attention against the Batwing, firing their shoulder-carried projectiles in the hope of downing the jet plane that had killed one of their own and robbed them of their rightful prey.

Amid further bursts of gunfire that emanated from the Batwing to the ground below, and exchanges of the four creatures' return fire that was shot into the sky, Batman spotted a rope ladder which was attached to the aircraft and dropped towards him. As the bottom of the ladder sailed towards him, several feet off the ground, following the flight trajectory of the Batwing, Batman holstered the curved blade from his left hand and then dove for it. As soon as he gripped the rope with both hands, the jet plane that had dropped the ladder changed course so it was headed upwards into the sky at a 45 degree angle.

Batman found himself being lifted as high as the rooftops that surrounded the passageway where he confronted Joker. He was then yanked even higher than those as he saw the cloudy, night sky all around him and the lights from the Gotham streets and buildings below. With a steel grip remaining on the rope ladder with both hands, the masked man struggled and soon managed to plant one of his feet on the ladder also, thus securing his hold of the rescue device further.

Once more securely fastened, he looked back down towards the alleyway where the peculiar confrontation and stand-off had taken place. Not surprisingly, the two black monsters were nowhere to be seen, considering he was now hundreds of feet off the level of the ground. Also, the two-legged creatures had camouflaged themselves amid the surrounding darkness as soon as they had been fired upon.

He could still see the location of the four invisible creatures who walked upright, though, only because those enemies still fired towards the Batwing, and Batman could follow the path of their bright projectile as those stood out amid the night environment.

But lastly, Batman could also see a single, upright individual who remained in the middle of the alleyway, near four corpses. It was the two-legged creature that he had fought and defeated earlier, and who had then refrained from joining the group that closed in around him. That particular being hadn't run for shelter when the Batwing opened fire, and he also hadn't turned himself invisible. Instead, he continued standing in the middle of the alley, possibly still staring up at the fleeing aircraft, even as four of his brethren kept firing at the flying machine.

Just as the human on the rope ladder was thinking that the creature's demeanour was strange, one of the many rounds that were shot towards the Batwing struck an area at the rear of the aircraft. That caused the jet plane to shake while it continued its ascending departure into the sky. So the navigator levelled the aircraft, slowed it down, and continued guiding it in a straight path, flying parallel to the Gotham City lights that shone hundreds of yards below. The chance finally allowed the passenger on the rope ladder to be more steady. By that time, the projectiles from the alleyway stopped being fired, certainly because the Batwing was too far away from that area.

Fortunately, while struck once by one of the two-legged creatures' strange bullets, the Batwing wasn't damaged to the point where its short-term flying ability was compromised, and Batman knew it from where he was dangled below. In fact, he expected that the pilot would reach the Batcave after another five minutes of flying, and then he'd be able to take his time and inspect the aircraft to fix it and make it as good as new. But that was going to have to be later, as he had the mystery of the monsters that he had just confronted to worry about for now.

Who were those two different types of warring creatures? What were they doing in Gotham? It did not take him long to come to the conclusion that this was a situation on which he had no knowledge.

As he thought about the problem and what threat those beasts held for his city, Batman felt the rope ladder being electrically pulled into the aircraft itself. It was only then that he felt the state of the injury that had been inflicted on his stomach, as the waning adrenaline allowed him to feel the dormant pain he was in during the entire confrontation. At least now, though, he'd be able to continue the rest of the journey home inside the jet plane and not hanging outside it.

He definitely hadn't been expecting to see the Batwing appearing to save him, but was most thankful for the pleasant surprise, as the presence of the aircraft increased his odds of escaping that alley alive by a great amount. And Batman also knew that there was only one person who had the ability to fly the jet plane as well as he could, in addition to having access to where it had been parked in the Batcave. The person who was currently seated in the pilot's chair must've done so after hearing that Bruce Wayne had dressed up in the usual dark clothes and had gone to the last known whereabouts of the Joker. And contrary to feeling indignant that this person borrowed the Batwing without his permission, Batman was glad for it, and not only because the person who was guiding the aircraft had saved his life.

"Good to see you again, Dick", the masked crusader thought out loud as the rope ladder kept being pulled towards a compartment inside the Batwing, bringing him ever closer to the pilot who was seated behind the aircraft's controls.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

30 seconds later+

Once having been pulled within the large Batwing and the partition was closed behind him, Batman's ears heard the difference as the loud noise that had been deafening him outside was replaced by the soft hum of the aircraft's engine. Appreciating the change, the crimefighter was finally allowed the chance to inspect his wounds. Those mostly consisted of the bloody gash that his opponent had inflicted upon him during the brawl in the alley, since the soreness in his head from having the stand-off with the larger adversary was negligible.

Batman pressed his left forearm against the still-bleeding cut in his waistline, wishing to sit down before he examined the wound further. Staggering to the pilot's compartment, his legs still protesting their use after the trauma of being violently pulled into the sky, he wasn't surprised to see that the front seat was already occupied. So he roughly landed in a seated position in the second compartment behind the pilot.

He gasped violently, fresh pain assaulting his senses while he hoped that the act of pressing his bloodied forearm against the wound was managing to slow down the flow of blood that crept out of the injury. And closing his eyes to give his mind a chance to adapt to the discomfort, it occurred to him that Dick didn't look any different now than the last time he had seen the young man. Except that his former sidekick's hair was now longer, which seemed to always be the case when the youngster returned from an absence.

Opening his eyes, Batman visualized that the inside of the jet plane was cramped, with only enough room for the pilot's seat and the co-pilot's seat behind him, but no space for anything else. That was ironic, when one compared how gigantic the Batwing was from outside. Then again, the aircraft was designed for speed, fuel efficiency, silence and stealth, durability and weapons, and not for convenience, and wasn't meant to be used as a transport device for passengers.

He also reminded himself to be careful of what name he used when he was thinking of his fellow combatant, even if he wasn't used to speaking the pilot's first name out loud. It was best to always address each other via their street names and not their personal ones, at least while they weren't within the safety of their sanctuary. So clearing his throat, he knew that Nightwing wasn't saying anything because the younger fighter was waiting for him to speak first, which was odd, since the person who was flying the Batwing now wasn't known for his politeness.

Batman definitely remembered the transition that his former second-in-command had undergone over the years. He was now dressing in mostly black, except for a large silver-colored eagle that was etched on the front of his chest, and with longer hair than when he used to be Robin, not to mention a much sharper tongue. Several years older, his comrade now had a body that was a bit slower than when he was identified as a teenaged Robin. But Nightwing's physique was now more muscular than before, and with his increased fighting experience, it made the Batwing's pilot a force to be reckoned with.

"Thank you", the older man spoke slowly and painfully while he was still catching his breath, also feeling soreness in his mouth for the first time from when Joker had punched him earlier.

"You're welcome, boss", the pilot in front of him cheerfully replied, though Nightwing couldn't turn around as they were both staring out of the windshield that was ahead of them.

The answer caused an internal smile for Batman, though he kept the reaction off his face. It was still endearing to hear the young man call him via such a name, after all this time.

"How did you… find me?", Batman asked next in the same fashion, breathing a little easier as time went on, though exhaling still ached.

"Once I heard about Joker's bust-out", Nightwing explained in a more relaxed fashion, constantly examining the readouts in front of him as he spoke, fingerless gloves wrapped around his hands as he gripped the controls, "I came by the Cave. Alfred said you were already gone since our pet clown was spotted. So I grabbed the Wing and followed you. Was easy enough to find you, considering your wheels' tracking device still works like a charm".

"Batwing's hit", the more experienced crimefighter informed him.

"Uhuh", his partner nodded, "I know, Bats".

"Do you need me to… take over the controls?".

"Are you hurt?", Nightwing held his breath after asking the question.

"A little".

"Then no", the young man followed through, mentioning things that Batman already knew, but which he reasoned the passenger needed to hear anyway, "I can get us to the Cave just fine. We'll be there in a few minutes, so why don't you use the first aid kit that's under the seat till then?".

Following his associate's advice, Batman winced in pain as he reached for the container.

"So what the hell _were_ those things?", the pilot questioned while the older man was wrapping a tight bandage around his own midsection.

"Have no idea", the more experienced fighter admitted, finding it easier to talk as the pain became more manageable, "There were two distinct species, neither one appeared to be human, Nightwing. The quadruped first jumped on me, and I was attempting to subdue it when the humanoid shot it in the head. By the time I pushed the quadruped off and looked at whoever lent me a hand, I could tell the humanoid was about to shoot me next, so I had to strike him first with a batarang. I _think_ that damaged his ability to fire. We fought, I won, as I was about to interrogate him, _both_ species' numbers multiplied. That's when you showed".

"Not a second too soon, either, boss. Seems like I saved your ass", the former apprentice grinned, "So, did you find the Joker?".

"Yeah, the quadruped took him to parts unknown before it attacked me", Batman recalled, "His odds of survival are extremely slim against one of those things".

"I agree", Nightwing shook his head, "But who knows? Mr Insano has survived other situations that should've killed him before".

"I recall", Batman agreed as the scene ahead of them changed from downtown Gotham to the less urban section of the city, indicating they were getting nearer to the Wayne mansion, "Until we find his remains, he's still at large. The potential of these other threats to Gotham doesn't allay the menace from the Joker".

"So…", the young man sighed, implying that he had something uncomfortable to say, but also that he wasn't going to refrain himself from saying it, "Didn't I _tell_ you that this would happen, Bats?".

The friendly tone he previously used was now modified to one where the man in the pilot's seat was readying himself for an argument if need be, and Batman could tell. So the older crimefighter made sure to not let the topic of the conversation get him to act confrontational.

"We have discussed this before and you are still incorrect, Nightwing", the injured combatant countered instead, keeping his voice as even as he could afford it, given the sensitive subject at hand, "Harley did _not_ help Joker escape".

"Oh? You sure about that, Bats?", his former protégé shot back while making sure to keep his eyes ahead of him and fighting the urge to turn around in his seat, "Is that why she's been missing since he busted out? And how two Arkham guards had the shit beaten out of them by Mr Insano who was using a brass knuckle? Just _how_ did he get a brass knuckle, Bats? Can you answer me that? You don't think that's at least a _little_ bit sus?".

A mental image of his nemesis flashed in Batman's mind, and he recalled how Joker was barefoot when the caped crusader had confronted him in the alleyway, but his adversary had also been carrying a brass knuckle at the time. Considering that the insane criminal didn't even have time to find a pair of shoes, which is the first item he should've looked for once free, it only made sense that someone had slipped him the brass knuckle while he was still incarcerated in the most secure unit of Arkham Asylum.

"While I concur with your conclusion that an outside party is involved, that's not hard evidence that _she_ is the guilty party", Batman finally shot back, agitated that he didn't have a stronger argument to use in this discussion.

The muscular tension only caused more pain to shoot through the wound in his stomach, which caused him to gasp for air as he pressed his bloodied left forearm against that area again, and convinced Nightwing to drop the subject, at least while his friend was injured.

"Look, Bats", the young man sighed in his attempt to have a more pleasant conversation, "I _do_ understand why you turned to Harley for companionship after that time she was paroled from Arkham and ended up being taken back there. I could tell this lady _wanted_ to change, really. And there are some things that a guy will be able to tell a girl that he can't tell anyone else, not even his partner. So I understand why there were some things you could talk to her about that you couldn't tell me or Alfred, especially after Selena, Talia and Andrea left rather than sticking around like I _thought_ they would".

"_Much_ has come to pass since then", Batman replied with a sigh of his own, "It's been so long that it surprises me you can remember what occurred then at all".

"Of course I do, Bats", Nightwing grinned while answering, "Hell, what was your reaction to when she said 'call me'? 'Don't hold your breath'? _No one_ was as surprised as me when you went back on what you said and actually _visited_ her a few days later".

Without even realizing it, Batman smiled to himself at the recollection.

"So, like I said, I don't blame you for wanting to talk to her", the younger man continued, "Especially after Barbara took Tim and went to live out some domesticated life under her father's roof rather than continue with you in the Batcave".

From the light reflection on the glass in front of him, Nightwing saw Batman's face becoming more tense in reaction to his comment.

"What?", the young man asked, curious as to what he had done wrong.

"Your assumption is _utterly_ incorrect", the more experienced fighter countered, "And I am aghast you would even _consider_ that possibility".

"Oh! Oh, right", his protégé acknowledged, "No biggie, yeah, I understand, Bats. I suppose that makes sense, sure. It'd be too much like doing your own daughter, if you did".

At least the tension eased off Batman's face, which caused the pilot to grin to himself again.

"I enjoyed these rhetorics significantly more before you felt the need to add your own brand of wit", Batman heavily pointed out, causing the man he was addressing to laugh lightly.

"Actually, as strange as it sounds, I'm partly glad that Barbara and Tim are having a nice life after Tim's latest run-in with Insano back there", Nightwing continued in a more serious fashion after a few seconds of comfortable silence, "Just, rather ticked off that they're not contacting me to find out how I am, you know? And I'm guessing they're doing the same to you too, aren't they?".

The silence on Batman's part was all the confirmation he needed.

"Yeah, I thought so", the young man continued, "I'm always the one who calls them to touch base. Hell, Bats, these are my former team-mates, people that I fought side-by-side with. That kind of bond _never_ breaks a hundred percent. So of course I'll always be concerned for their welfare. I'm just surprised that they're not concerned enough about mine to meet me halfway". It's not the sort of thing that you forget in a hurry, I'll always be worrying about them somewhere. Would be nice if they met me half way".

"I'm sorry they disappointed you", was the only statement Batman uttered in response.

"Hey, don't sweat it. Just water under the bridge now", Nightwing lied as he gave a smile that was fake this time, "So like I said, I _do_ get why you wanted to talk to Harley in Arkham. In fact, it was pretty cute when you used to go to Arkham to speak to her via phone and through plexiglass for two, three hours at a time, and then moved from there to lunch in the Arkham cafeteria after hours and walks together in the grounds outside. But it's when you started screwing her after her second parole that I had a problem with it, Bats. You had _no_ right to put yourself at risk by revealing your identity to the Joker's girlfriend. What's worse, you also jeopardized _my_ safety, and Alfred's, and Barbara and Tim's too".

"How…?", the caped crusader uttered, finding himself to be at a loss for words for the first instant in a long time.

"What?", Nightwing grinned at his former instructor through the reflection in the windshield, "How did I know you were doing her? I was young and naïve, Bats. I wasn't stupid".

"Never thought you were, youngster", Batman flatly told him.

"Oh, thanks, boss", the navigator's smile widened as he paid attention to the view in front of him, "Now make sure you're buckled up. We'll be in the Batcave in under a minute".

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	2. Chapter 2

+5 minutes later+

The Batwing landed within the Batcave annex without any hindrance, with the stark contrast obvious between the pitch black of the night air along with the harsh orange lights in the city outside, and the mostly grey environment with regular intervals of soft white lights within the refuge. Both men climbed out of the aircraft at the same time, with Batman already estimating how many minutes it would require for his wound to be thoroughly bandaged to guarantee a stop to the blood loss and safeguard against an infection. Always making it his priority to not take a moment longer than the time he had mentally allocated for the task, especially tonight.

"Master Bruce! You're hurt!", was the first declaration the two men heard as the mansion's eternally-loyal butler was seen running towards them from the heart of the Batcave.

"It's only a type 2 injury, Alfred", Batman flatly announced in a lower voice as his feet landed on the smooth ground below.

"Right away, sir", the dependable, oldest man there veered course, heading in the direction where the up-to-date first aid and emergency equipment was kept within this section of the caves.

"Thanks", the caped crusader whispered under his breath, uncertain if Alfred had even heard him, and realizing that it didn't make any difference for the butler.

The bald man who only sported a greyish-white mustache had been the one stable factor that he and Nightwing could always count on throughout the years, having been there for the two men during times when even the two crimefighters had been at odds with each other. That was no easy feat, considering that both individuals spent months living separately and had refrained from communicating with each other, but they had been able to rely on their aged friend to always visit them in person or contact them via telephone. And true to his nature, Alfred had also constantly informed both men how his counterpart was doing during that rift, even though he had never been asked for the information. Having always assumed that he'd had both Batman and Nightwing inform him that they were no longer interested in the news, he had continued doing so until the two finally got past their pride and admitted to themselves that the city would be better protected when they worked together rather than separately.

"Hmmm…", the younger of the two combatants was already crouched in front of the rear section of the Batwing that had been struck during their flight, keenly examining the damage done, so he removed the eyepiece that served as protection from water and tear gas, as well as the function of a mask, from his face, "This bird definitely shouldn't fly again without getting some serious rehaul, Bats. Once I get the right tools, shouldn't take me more than half a day's work to get it in tip-top shape, though. But before then, we stay grounded. You still have the Wing's tools here, right?".

He looked up at his comrade as he finished talking, to which Batman simply nodded his head in agreement as the older man had his left forearm still pressed against his midsection and then used his right hand to remove his own mask from his head. It was then that Alfred appeared near them, jogging in the pair's direction with all the supplies he'd need for a more thorough care of his employer's wounds.

"Here you are, master Bruce", the butler handed him the new medical supplies, and then from a distance, inspected the bandage that was wrapped around the wound in the jet plane, pretending to not pay as much attention to the wound as he really was.

"Thank you, Alfred", the crimefighter repeated, louder this time.

"Not a _serious_ injury, sir, but better safe than sorry", he announced to both persons there after several seconds while Nightwing was returning to a position of standing at his full height.

"Are you OK with me starting an in-depth on the net while you finish up here, Bats?", the young man inquired as Batman applied a fresh binding over his stomach, satisfied that the damage to his stomach was appropriately dealt with.

"Sure thing", the Batcave's full-time resident agreed, "I'll be there in a minute. Once we find out what we're dealing with, assuming the computer has anything on these foes, we need to get back out there".

"In that case, sir, allow me to bring you a replacement for that part of your costume", the butler announced while remaining still, "And you should also know that miss Quinn has been awaiting your arrival in the Batcave's main chamber for the last ninety minutes now".

His last statement grabbed both men's attention.

"Harl's _here_?", Nightwing asked, feeling more surprised than anything else at the news.

"Is she alright?", Batman added without as much disbelief to his voice.

"Yes to both counts, sirs", the butler flatly told them, "She arrived a short while after master Dick's departure. She was quite upset, worrying about the Joker's unscheduled release and your pursuit of him while alone, master Bruce. I suspect she didn't follow me here because she believed it was master Dick who was returning to base alone".

The elderly man turned away to walk towards the wardrobe closet without waiting to hear an acknowledgement from the unmasked crusader.

"Flabbergasted?", Batman asked of his former second-in-command once the two of them were alone.

"To be honest, yeah", Nightwing admitted, "But I'd like to see what she has to say for herself".

"She had nothing to do with Joker's escape, Dick", the older man patted him on the back before they both began walking towards the heart of the Batcave, where the supercomputer was located, Batman no longer wishing to dress his wounds within the cave's annex when he had a visitor who was anxiously waiting for him elsewhere.

"For her sake, I hope not, boss", the young man replied, choosing his words carefully, "Because you _know_ what I'll do if you're wrong about her. But either way, you're right that we have bigger fish to fry tonight".

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

+2 minutes later+

Dr. Harley Quinn, PhD, was busy pacing the floor of the Batcave's main chamber, walking back and forth near the supercomputer that was connected to the city, state, federal and international mainframes, and updated on a regular basis. She had been in this dark and mostly quiet environment for what felt like ages, but upon the twentieth time she stared at her wristwatch, she objectively knew it had only been just over an hour.

She had already used half a box of tissues via drying her tears or blowing her nose, and tossing those worn items into a wastebasket that was one of the few additions to the otherwise spartan Batcave that had been made to accommodate her visits to it.

Ever since arriving here, almost hysterical due to the news of the infamous escape, she had found the place to be empty, except for the presence of Alfred, who as far as she could tell, never left the confines of either one of the many branches of the Batcave or the mansion above it. The older man had welcomed her inside, of course. Whether this was because he had familiarized himself with her presence and began trusting her after all this time, or simply because his employer had mandated him to, she wasn't sure. Though if she had to bet, she would guess that it was the latter.

But she wasn't planning to whine about her lack of acceptance in mainstream society due to her criminal, and mentally unstable, past. Not when her former consort had broken out of the mental asylum that was supposed to keep him from preying on society in general and herself in particular, and her current consort was pursuing him, and both men were currently missing. In addition to that, Alfred had mentioned that Batman's former sidekick and part-time partner had flown off after the caped crusader, maintaining radio silence with the Batcave, but promising to inform their butler if there's any news.

That was more than an hour ago, and since then, half a box of tissues and a quarter a bottle of scotch later, there was nothing heard. That only made the young woman more and more nervous, tugging at the two blonde ponytails that stuck out perpendicularly away from each other at the top of her head. When that became boring, she tugged at the red tie that had been fastened neatly around her neck at one time to compliment the business dress of the same color, but was now a jumbled mess.

While she was still marching up and down the floor to this dimly-lit cave, Alfred had gone to check on Grayson's return. With only the sounds of bats flying overhead keeping her company, she wondered why Wayne had been so adamant that she leaves all nonessentials items out of this place. It's not as if the Batcave couldn't use a woman's touch to become a slightly brighter and more cheerful place. If given the chance, Harley would've preferred to have some pots carrying flowers here and there, some framed pictures of herself with Wayne sitting on the computer terminal. And while she was at it, she'd definitely add her three most important certificates on the cave walls. The first would be the documentation from Arkham Asylum which stated that she had successfully finished the years of counselling sessions, and was officially sane. The second was the paperwork that re-instated her PhD degree in psychology from several years earlier, which took about eight months of work on her part, as well as a lot of influence and money from Wayne, of course. And lastly, the third was the license which described that she was a counsellor at Arkham Asylum, being the first member of that mental institute's clientele to return to that building as a member of the staff.

As she was trying to distract herself from the worry on her mind, and only partly succeeding, she wished that Wayne would allow her to leave some pictures of them together in his base of operations. Instead, the masked crimefighter had insisted that she only keeps crucial possessions in the Batcave. Those consisted only of a bed, a closet for clothes, and a filing cabinet within one of the rooms that was attached to the heart of the cave, for those nights when she was sleeping over and waiting for Batman to return. That meant all her personal items, which included all objects of a color that was not grey, including smiling photo frames of herself and Wayne together, had to stay either in the mansion above or in her apartment.

The Arkham doctor pulled at her hair again, realizing that the mental diversion just wasn't working on the long run, as the dread she felt in the pit of her stomach upon hearing that Joker was loose hadn't eased up by even the tiniest degree. And she knew it wouldn't be alleviated, either, not until she knew that Batman's safety was confirmed, and Joker's re-incarceration was verified after that.

Looking towards the direction where she heard footsteps, the tense expression on Harley's features turned into a smile when she noticed that Batman and Nightwing were making their way towards her at the same time. She could immediately tell that Wayne was injured, but from the way he carried his face indicated to her that he was more concerned about something that had occurred earlier tonight than on the physical wound he had been dealt.

"Hey sweetie!", were the only words out of her mouth before she bolted in the older crimefighter's direction and they embraced.

"Hello, Harley. I'm glad you're here", Bruce replied prior to her planting a passionate kiss on his lips.

"I didn't know where else to go, Bruce!", her high-pitched voice replied as they parted from the hug, "I was soooo worried! Are _you_ OK?".

"Definitely", the formerly masked man replied as he placed an arm at her lower back while continuing towards the CPU, "Have a long night ahead of us, though".

"So what else is new?", the young woman giggled, not bothered that her paramour's comrade-in-arms hadn't even looked in her direction yet, but even Dick's bad opinion of herself wasn't enough to bring down her mood now that she knew Bruce was safe.

"I didn't know what happened to you since Joker's escape", Batman continued as the couple had locked eyes and the oldest of the three individuals there sat down in front of the main computer screen, "Neither the Arkham staff, nor the Police had any idea of your whereabouts since he broke out".

"Well, you see… I had, well, I'm _really_ sorry about that, but I just panicked and, well, I don't want him around me and didn't want to be easy to find. I can't believe he got out!", the blonde continued talking at a faster tone than him, "I got soooo scared when I heard that he had escaped. I supposed I just panicked that he may be coming after _me_ again. I wasn't _too_ worried about it when I heard there was an escape attempt initially, but then the security guys told me the combination of two things that I was _always_ dreading, sweetie, which was that it was the Joker who had tried to bust out, and then that he _succeeded!_".

Nightwing only rolled his eyes at her tone of voice as the doctor continued talking while Batman started to type on the keyboard.

"I'm _so_ sorry I worried you, sweetie", Harley continued, nonchalantly sitting on the workstation, near where Batman was entering information, so she could be next to her soulmate while facing him, "And I _hate_ how scared I became when I heard the news. I just ran out of there, left my office, didn't tell _anyone_ where I was going, didn't clock out, didn't even cancel this afternoon's appointments".

"That's not what's important, Harley", Batman quickly looked away from the screen and squeezed her knee, before returning his attention to the machine in front of him, "All that can be made up tomorrow. The imperative matter is that you're safe".

"Thanks, sweetie", the doctor subconsciously hugged herself as she anxiously replied, "All this time, and that clown _still_ has me feeling like a scared adolescent who's afraid of the schoolyard bully. I've just been waiting to hear that you're OK so I could stop tearing my hair out. It's lousy because I work and I work and feels like every time I get up he just kicks me right back down!".

"Uh, Harl", Nightwing finally spoke up, remaining on his feet and pointing to an area away from the trio, "You were so worried in this entire ordeal that you found the time to stop by a bar, I take it?".

Both Batman and Harley turned to see that he was indicating the partly empty bottle of scotch that was sitting on the cave floor and next to her suitcase, about a dozen yards away from the workstation.

"Oh, _that_?", the doctor giggled again before turning her attention back to her lover, "It was just something to calm my nerves, sweetie. It was either that or I'd be going _nuts_ right now. You understand, don't you? Just a little nightcap to calm my nerves. Was either that or I decorated this place. Didn't want you to come back and find all mess everywhere. You understand right?"

"Yes, I do", the older crimefighter addressed her first, "But Nightwing's also correct that this place needs to stay with the bare essentials".

Batman then turned his attention to his comrade, speaking to both individuals.

"I need you _both_ behind me on this if I'm to stand a chance of solving the riddle behind our deadly friends earlier tonight", the group's leader went on, switching his gaze from one person to another, and then back again, "What happened earlier tonight should _prove_ that I alone don't have the ability to handle Gotham's new visitors".

"Of course, Bats", the younger man slowly nodded once.

"Definitely, sweetie", the Arkham doctor clasped her hands as new urgency appeared on her face, "From what you're describing, are you saying you ran into Mr J? Does he have friends?".

"Yes and no, to answer your questions", Batman returned his attention to the computer screen, trying to find some report on the creatures he had seen earlier, "He was snatched up by a creature the likes of which I had never seen before. And then _more_ of those creatures attacked me. And I'm not finding any information here about them, Dick".

"Jesus Christ!", the younger man brushed his left hand through his long hair in exasperation, "What does that _mean_? Who _were_ those things? Some type of fairy tale monsters who are pumped up on Venom, maybe? Bane _is_ still at Arkham, right?".

"Yes, and I doubt this is Venom we're dealing with", his former instructor informed him, "All Venom does is increase someone's muscle mass. I've never seen anything like the animals I faced tonight. When I was up close with some of them, I noticed they had a small mouth _inside_ their jaw. These beasts are all natural".

"A mouth inside the…", Nightwing repeated, absorbing the new information, "This is getting more and more interesting as time goes on. Really, it is".

"I still haven't heard anything on the Police scanner about them, which means that they're either keeping a low profile…", the older man continued with a sigh, "Or are doing to every one of their victims the same thing they did to Joker. That one organism carried Joker through the air within an instant. It wouldn't be beyond their capability to kill and remove all evidence of their acts".

"Yeah, the result is that we have a low-priority missing person's report and not a high-priority murder being reported", Nightwing added as he began pacing the floor next to the computer mainframe.

"Which means we go back out and keep patrolling for them", the caped crusader declared as he stood up from the workstation, "Can you find out if Alfred has fuelled up the Batmobile, Dick?".

"Sure thing, boss", the less experienced combatant marched off in search of that information.

"Uh, sweetie, where did Mr J hurt you?", Harley jumped off the surface of the computer terminal and planted her feet on the floor, gently placing her right palm over Batman's heart.

"Not him", the crusader corrected as he replaced his mask over his head, "It was one of the beings I met after Joker was forcibly removed from the scene. It's a shallow wound just above my waistline, nothing to worry about".

"I got some painkillers in my bag to make it all go away, sweetie", the young woman followed through, walking towards the suitcase from work that was waiting several steps away, "You should take a couple before you're heading back out to do battle".

"No, Harley", Batman declined the offer by turning to face the direction that she was heading, "Too much of a chance that any medication could make me drowsy. I can't afford to be less than 100 percent at _any_ night, but especially at a night like this".

"It's non-drowsy, sweets", the doctor insisted, picking up her suitcase and rummaging through it, "It can only help, really".

"Harley, no, I mean it", the older man held both his hands in front of his own chest, arms bent at the elbow and palms facing her, "Now is not the time or the place. I won't take any chances".

"Me neither", Harley insisted as she found the medication she was looking for and walked back towards him, bag in one hand and the bottle of pills in the other, "Either take two of these or stay in bed for 24 hours to recuperate. If you don't want to do either, then you'll have to remove me from the front of the Batmobile before you drive off, sweets".

She reached an area that was within an arm's reach of him and stood her ground, looking up into his eyes, both individuals' determination clashing as neither person spoke for several heartbeats.

"Sweetie, I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize your performance, you know that", Harley finally offered as she raised the container of drugs closer to his face, "But this is silly. Personally, considering you're running off to try to find my tormentor, I'd rather go _with_ you two".

"That's _definitely_ out of the question", Batman countered as he snatched the bottle out of her fingers, "And thank you".

He kissed her on the lips before he unscrewed the cap of the bottle and swallowed two of the pills inside before returning the closed cylinder back to her. He then turned away from her and began marching towards where he knew the Batmobile would be waiting as bats were heard fluttering overhead.

"I'll keep in radio contact once every hour, whether there's anything to report or not", he mentioned as she began following him, more out of instinct than because she had any new arguments to make regarding her reasons to accompany the pair on their patrol, "Stay here and try to get some rest in between our status reports. You've been MIA for a day now. You must be in requirement of rest".

"You love me?", the psychologist asked, still hiking after him.

Batman temporarily turned around and faced her as he was walking backwards.

"Of course", the combatant informed her with a smile, "But you're still staying here".

"Sweetie!", the blonde complained as her consort turned back around and continued marching away, and going towards Nightwing, who was approaching him from the direction of the parked Batmobile, "I feel bad enough at having panicked and running away from my job today. I'm _tired_ of hiding from him!".

"Harl, as much as I appreciate the personal demons you wanna exorcise by facing Joker down, I'm afraid I have to agree with Bats on this one", the younger man addressed her as the trio stopped moving, Nightwing addressing her as he adjusted his own mask back in front of his face, "And this isn't just about the Joker, either. We saw other things out there tonight that I'm _still_ trying to get my head around. Until we know what those guys want and what danger they pose on the streets, you're better off not placing yourself in undue…".

An explosion blew inward from the doorway at the top of the ascending staircase that led to the passageway back to the upstairs mansion through the grandfather clock. Rocks and glass were sprayed in the trio's direction. Nightwing dove for cover, protecting his head, as Batman wrapped himself around Harley's screaming figure before using his fireproof cape to reduce any possible damage to himself.

Standing back up as the effect of the blast dissipated in the large cavern, the two crimefighters saw a giant figure stepping through the hole that remained where the uphill doorframe was. The intruder stood at approximately seven feet tall, emitting a mixture of clicks and hisses as he visually surveyed the area that laid before him at the bottom of the staircase, whose apex he was currently standing on. In addition to the strange armour that his massive body sported, he also wore a metal mask over his face, with what appeared to be long strands of hair at the top and back of his head. His left wrist carried a set of two, nearly-straight blades that protruded several inches past his clenched fist, while the identical knives on his right arm had been broken. Finally, his left shoulder held a horizontal gadget, which Batman remembered as being the projectile-firing weapon that the masked human had disabled by throwing a batarang towards it about half an hour ago.

Without a doubt, this was the same creature that the caped crusader had fought against earlier tonight.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	3. Chapter 3

+5 seconds later+

"How the _hell_ did you get in here!", the younger of the two human warriors yelled first, thinking out loud as he began charging for the base of the stairs in his effort to run up and challenge the intruder.

"Nightwing! No!", Batman restrained his companion by using his right arm, a task that was made more difficult since he had locked his left arm around Harley's waistline and quickly pulled the doctor behind himself.

Trusting his comrade's point of view over his own instinct, the shorter crimefighter stopped his forward rush, especially as he spotted that the trespasser had withdrawn a roughly 10-inch wide, circular-shaped blade and held it via a right grip. In response, Batman withdrew two batarangs in his own turn, holding one in each hand, and ready to use the first to intercept the circular blade if it was thrown, and the second to toss against the creature if the antagonist tried to attack. Fortunately, the startled doctor did as she was instructed in the past and stayed carefully out of harm's way, all the more to allow him to concentrate on his opponent without having to worry about her safety.

Except that the creature wasn't attacking. In fact, he wasn't even coming downstairs from the elevated position, opting to remain at the top of the staircase as his face slowly rotated from one side of his shoulders to the other, still examining the area there, and always producing the same, cricket-like noise. The silent stand-off lasted several more moments, the four individuals staring back and forth at each other, until it was interrupted when another voice cried out in the distance, calling for Batman as the man who screamed it came running towards the heart of the Batcave.

In response to Alfred's intrusion at the scenery, the tall creature sharply turned his face in the direction that the butler was running from, the hissing clicks that he produced getting louder as he analyzed the new possible threat.

"Alfred, stop! Don't go near him!", the caped crusader instructed next, prompting the elderly man to stop in his tracks as the servant then panted.

More of the uncomfortable silence, before Batman addressed the intruder for the first time as he carefully stepped in its direction, not sure what to expect as a result.

"Can you understand me?", the masked human stated, still gripping both his batarangs and readying to use them at the first hint of aggression, "What is it you want?".

More hisses and clicks followed, until even those usual noises eventually stopped.

"Yesss", the two-legged beast finally uttered, "I wissshhh to tttalkkk, to you".

"I'll be damned", Nightwing whispered only to himself, Batman and Harley, also approaching their opponent, "So sasquatch can speak English. What's next?".

"How _did_ he get in here without activating a dozen sensors before he reached the mansion clock?", Harley added as her eyes darted from the intruder, back to the humans around her, and back to the larger creature again. "Hang on! I don't think I like how he can just barge in here like that! THAT'S RUDE! How did he _do_ that!".

"By using invisibility", Batman commented to no one in particular as he approached the bottom of the staircase further, "These beings can bend light and camouflage themselves in any environment. They used it when the Batwing opened fire".

"And we're supposed to _trust_ you that all you wanna do is talk?", Nightwing barked back, angrily pointing his right index finger towards the adversary.

"If he wished to attack, he would've done so already", Batman stated out loud, creeping closer to the strange humanoid, "And if he broke in here and didn't set off the alarms, he could've also waited to ambush us upstairs".

"Yeah, good point", his younger comrade agreed, none of the humans taking their eyes off the visitor, "But hell of a diplomatic skill he possesses, Bats".

"If you wish to talk, then you're invited in, but _unarmed_", the leader in the Batcave indicated towards the interloper by raising his voice.

"And we'll discuss the damage you caused and financial reparations later", Nigthwing whispered under his breath, still eagerly paying attention.

"So if you're here to talk, then prove it!", Batman continued in the same tone.

Several more seconds of silence from the people in the mansion and clicks from their visitor.

Then, the twin blades that the creature had attached to his left wrist were withdrawn back towards the back of his forearm. And the giant then slowly holstered the circular blade within a compartment that wasn't noticeable to the humans there.

In response to the act, Batman's body relaxed a trifle as he carefully placed his batarangs away, though Nightwing maintained his defensive position, while Harley and Alfred were a tiny bit less anxious than before.

"Are you alone?", the caped crusader demanded next.

"Yesss", the creature hissed.

"Come on in, then, big man?", Nightwing added to the conversation as he indicated for the guest to approach.

The giant humanoid slowly, but purposefully, climbed down the descending steps, still clicking to himself as he looked at all four persons there.

"This should be a riot", the youngest male there commented to himself with a grin, finally relaxing from his ready stance, and wondering how much of a conversationalist his former instructor could be when talking to a creature who was clearly one of few words.

At least there were others here who could contribute to the discussion.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

+3 minutes later+

The Batcave had Nightwing and Alfred absent from the scene, with the older man having been sent to inspect the mansion above the cavern so as to assess the damage that the visitor had inflicted upon in. And the younger crime-fighter had accompanied the butler so as to provide protection, in case more of the giant's brethren happened to be waiting in one of the manor's many rooms, despite the interloper's previous insistence that he was alone.

That left the strange creature as he was standing on the floor, several yards away from the main computer. The being with the metal mask remained still as constant tension seemed to pulsate through his gigantic body, which led him to regularly clench and unclench his fists while his face only moved from one side of his shoulder to the other. With Batman steadily walking a large circle around where the giant stayed nearly motionless on his feet, the foreign being kept his eyes on the caped crusader while the human was moving clockwise in front of him. Never remaining still, Batman then continued walking past the visitor's right, then behind the leviathan's back, until he came back around the creature's left. That prompted the interloper to turn his head towards his own left so as to keep his eyes on the interrogator.

Clearly, the unexpected visitor had his attention set on the human who had exchanged blows with him earlier tonight. He ignored the blonde-haired female in the red, professional dress who was casually seated on the large computer workstation nearby, her bare feet dangling a few inches above the cave ground as she had taken her shoes off for the sake of comfort. Clearly, Harley was feeling much better, even in the presence of the clicking creature who was in the same area as her, since she was more relaxed in the monster's company while Batman was around, as opposed to being a nervous wreck when she was alone and had no confirmation of her partner's safety.

"Let's start with names", the masked human began speaking first as he finally came to a halt several feet in front of the hulking individual he was addressing, "I'm called Batman. I would've _thought_ you'd know that, if you're living in this city. But something tells me you don't, because you're _not_ from around here. Am I correct?".

"Mmmy city is apppppproximmmatttellly three lllightttyearrrs away fffrom yours", the colossus countered in his usually thick, deliberately slow speech, turning his head so his chin pointed towards his right shoulder as he talked.

"Oh, Jesus…", Harley sighed nearby, placing her head down so her eyes were covered by her right palm.

As if this city, and this planet, didn't have enough troublemakers being born here, she wanted to say out loud, but she wisely kept that last thought to herself.

At any other time and place, she would've considered a being who claimed to be an alien from outer space to be one who seriously needed her specific brand of counselling. But this person's appearance, as well as his ability to locate the Wayne mansion, his finding the secret passageway to the caves, and his ability to blow a hole through that entrance, had convinced the young woman to not deny the truth behind anything that he said. And from what she could tell, Batman was believing the intruder's statement also.

"You got a name?", the older man asked next, arching his neck so as to maintain eye contact with the being who was at least eight inches taller.

More quick clicks followed from the larger person before that noise stopped and he inhaled air, most likely through rents in his mask that the humans couldn't see.

"Nnnot in yourrr language", interviewee finally uttered, straightening his head back to its normal position.

"I say we give him one, sweetie", Harley spoke up from the side, smiling to herself as she addressed them both from her seated position, "How 'bout Blast? As in the one who _blasted_ his way in here?".

Batman quickly twisted his head partly in her direction, locking some of his gaze upon her eyes, though she was sure the masked man always kept some attention on the visitor at the same time, before returning his gaze towards the taller creature. The message to the young woman was clear, so she nodded while still grinning to herself, and silently made the gesture of her right thumb and index finger closing an imaginary lock in front of her lips, indicating she'd be quiet.

"We arrre Yaujta, baccckkk home", the behemoth continued, "You hhhumans dubbed usss as Predators".

"In that case, your name's Pred, for short", a new voice joined the conversation.

The two humans turned their attention in the speaker's direction, though the extra-terrestrial did not, before they noticed it was Nightwing who made the comment while the young man was descending the staircase that led from the mansion. Having left Alfred behind, there was an ease to his body language that indicated there was nothing to worry about within the gigantic house upstairs.

Regardless, Batman kept his gaze locked with his former protégé's eyes, nonverbally asking him the status of more creatures in Wayne Manor, to which Nightwing shook his head, indicating the mansion was empty and the visitor had truly come alone as he claimed. Batman then raised his eyebrows slightly as the younger man approached the caped crusader, now nonverbally asking how much damage was done to Bruce Wayne's home, to which Nightwing did not respond, instead continuing towards where Batman stood. But once he reached his mentor's spot, he grinned and patted Batman on the shoulder.

"I'm glad you're rich", was all the junior crimefighter stated before turning his concentration back on the interloper.

The giant only clicked to himself further while staring down at the human who was even shorter than him than Batman had been, making the disparity in size more noticeable.

"Or maybe Pred's a bit too lame", the thoroughly relaxed man continued, still arching his neck to meet the alien's metal mask, "How about Red instead? Granted you don't have any of that color _on_ you, but still. _I_ think it suits you. By the way, I'm Nightwing, and I'm guessing you already met Bats".

He casually pointed towards the older man as he finished speaking.

"Or Batman, as most people who scream his name in terror know him as", Nightwing turned towards his teacher, "But really, Bats, considering how much space we have in this Cave, one would think that getting some foldable chairs shouldn't be out of the question".

The last comment only drew a sigh from the owner of the mansion, causing Wayne to think to himself that his former second-in-command just wasn't taking the situation seriously enough. But that couldn't be helped at the moment, not when he still had many other questions to ask the mysterious guest, and hoped that all his inquiries would be answered.

"If humans had given you a name, then your kind interacted with us before?", Batman continued, noticing that the Predator didn't seem pressured in the slightest bit due to having two interrogators before him now.

"Mmmine is a race of hunttter-warriors", the giant explained between the snapping sound his mouth made naturally, "Prevvvious hunttter-warriors had been to Earttth, from several centurrries ago, untilll relatively recennntly. Theyyy stopppppped visiting Earttth to hunnnt humans, as except forrr a fffew sporadic cassses of bravery, hummmans werrre seen as weak, cowwwardly and brrrutish".

"You gotta admit, he's got us pegged _there_", Nightwing commented to himself as a new grin appeared on his face, this time prompting all three other individuals to turn their face in his direction.

"What?", the less experienced fighter countered, noticing the looks, "Have you _seen_ people's behaviour at football games?".

"Please continue, Red", Harley addressed the otherworldly guest from her seated position on the CPU, "I mean, assuming that name is OK with you, big boy".

The steady clicks from the leviathan at least confirmed that he wasn't offended at the term.

"It is why Yaujtas were allowwwed to hunt all hummmans who could fennnd for themssselves in the honnnorable Hunt, so as to immmprove their skillsss as warriorrrs. But due to the innnefficient challennnge that hummmans posed to ourrr goal of becccoming the bessst hunttter-warriors, we started hunttting elsssewhere in the galllaxy", he went on, "It wasss solllely by chance that durrring a normal hunnnting expedition, we cammme across crrreatures who werrre our equal in strength. Upon invessstigation, we found that the egg-hatchers incapppacitate a host by gripping its face, and plllace an embryo withinnn it. The Alien ssspawn exits out of the hossst soon afterwardsss, killing the hossst in the process. These xenomorrrphs grow innn size and strennngth within a short time, and they are ourrr ultimate quarry now as they arrre extremely viciousss, are masssters of concealment even without technolllogy and are ourrr equal in strength, in addition to having acid blllood, which only makes them morrre difficulllt to destroy. The creaturrre that I incapacccitated after it attacked you wasss such a spawwwn".

He looked directly at Batman as he finished speaking, though the human didn't need any help in remembering the Alien who had leapt upon him earlier tonight.

"Good thing I threw that carcass off me when I did, then", the human commented more to himself than to others, curious as the giant began undoing two straps that connected the metal mask to his face.

Batman remembered pushing the Alien's remains off him quite clearly. He had done so in order to investigate the source of the projectile that had killed the Xenomorph, but now felt very glad he did, as it was his reflex which most likely saved him from being drenched in the animal's dangerous blood.

"Our race hunnnt for the glorrry of being the bessst warriors in the univerrrse", Red continued explaining to all three members of his eager audience, as he removed the mask, causing a gasp from Harley, a silent wince from Nightwing, and no reaction from Batman, as the three humans saw the face underneath the metal protection, "There is only honorrr in being the bessst. So we breed egg-hatcherrrs until they arrre mature and then plllace them within inhabittted planets so the crrreatures will give lllife to Xenomorphs based on the difffffferent specimen that livvve on the planet surrrface. Plus, it is prrreferable to hunt Xenomorphs in an urrrban environment rather than the Xenomorph's own hommmeworld. Hunting in a wasssteland is quite borrring".

"Sweetie, no offense, but I liked you better when you had your mask _on_", the young woman commented from her position on top of the CPU.

"That's convenient", Nightwing countered as he ignored the doctor's comment, keeping his attention on the hunter as he had his arms crossed in front of his chest, a serious demeanor back on his face as the gravity of what he was told sunk into his mind, "So you basically butcher innocent lifeforms for your stupid sport. You make a game out of murdering other races. I mean, call me up if I'm off here".

"Not innocennnt lifeforms. Onnnes that are less honorrrable than us", the Predator quickly countered, as if his answer should be enough to alleviate the young man's accusation.

"Is that why you don't release these egg-hatchers, face-huggers, whatever the hell you call'em, in your own homeworld?", Nightwing shot back, "Because your rock's too precious to be ripped apart by rampaging xeno… whatevers, Aliens?".

"Exxxactly", Red pointed his left index finger towards the shorter of the two male humans, believing that the interrogator was seeing things from the visitor's point of view.

"I think we're being distracted off the subject at hand here, Nightwing", Batman addressed his former sidekick, simply because he wished to have more information given to them by the Predator, reasoning there'd be plenty of time for righteous indignation once the threat was dealt with.

Turning his attention back towards the interloper, the caped crusader followed through.

"Does you information have the ramifications that I _think_ it does?", he questioned.

"In order to do combattt against Xenomorphs who werrre based on hummmans, egg-hatchers were brrrought to thisss city and releasssed, yesss", the taller creature confirmed, prompting a frustrated maon from all three people there.

"These face-huggers. Do you know the exact number that we are going to have to deal with?", Batman's tone of voice rose as he asked next, the crimefighter holding his breath since he dreaded to hear the answer.

"A hunnndred", Red quickly informed.

Batman only exhaled through his nose as Nightwing sighed loudly and partly spread his arms away from his torso while turning away from the extra-terrestrial in frustration. This was even as Harley's eyes and mouth widened in shock while the young woman covered her lower face with both palms.

"Are we going back out?", Nightwing spoke up first, addressing his former teacher now, "Your wheels _are_ ready".

"Yeah", Batman grimly answered, "Bring all the weapons you can carry".

"Are we gonna tell the Police first?", the younger man asked next, neither crimefighter noticing that Harley quietly jumped off the computer mainframe that she had been sitting on before she swiftly darted away.

"Therrre's more", the Predator answered first, cutting off whatever Batman was about to reply with.

"The reassson Yaujta culture excluddded the use of Xenomorphs onnn the homeworld while allowing themmm here on Earth is becaussse humans are seen as annnd believed to be totally devvvoid of honor, aggressivvve and the Yaujtas' eternnnal ennnemies", Red repeated himself, suddenly testing the two humans' patience since they were now more fervent to head out of the Batcave, "We arrre taught that you humans are onllly good for prey and Xenomorph livessstock during the Hunt. That is why I am connnfused".

"About _what_?", Batman curtly asked.

"About why you ssspared my life after defeattting me", Red continued, suddenly causing both men to stop in their rush to go for the Batmobile, "What you dddid contradicts _everythinnng_ I was taught and belllieved about yourrr species. I had to finnnd out why. It's the rrreason I left my brethrrren behind and ran afffter the flying machinnne that lifted you into the sky".

"It's what we _do_, bigfoot!", Nightwing angrily responded in Batman's place, "Maybe it's because the bullshit you were taught is exactly that – bullshit. You can't shove six billion people into one phrase! And that's _exactly_ what you did, killing a bunch of people you know nothing about, who never did _anything_ to you, all in the name of 'honor' this or 'honor' that. Where's the honor in picking fights with strangers just for the hell of it? What the hell's the point of _any_ of your strength if it's not to protect those who are weaker than you? Does that concept even make _sense _to you? The point isn't to be some greatass hunter, dude. It's to do the right thing in a world that only rewards you for doing what's wrong. But braindeads like you just don't get any of what I'm…".

"Nightwing! Not now!", Batman interrupted, pointing his right palm towards the younger man so as to silence him, which he did, before turning his attention back towards the Predator, "Your fellow hunters, your brethren. Are you aware of their location?".

"Afffirmative", Red nodded his head once while in the process of replacing the metal mask back in front of his face.

"I want you to take us _both_ there", the caped crusader pointed towards himself and his fellow crimefighter, "We need to request a rendez-vous with them to have a discussion about this disarray they caused and their assistance in setting things right".

"I will speakkk to my superiorrrs in the mothership and requessst just that", the visitor added.

"That would be appreciated", Batman replied as he patted Nightwing on the arm and indicated the direction where their vehicle was waiting, "Three of us should fit in the Batmobile. Inform Alfred".

"On it", Nightwing replied as he withdrew a small cellphone, dialed two buttons and quickly spoke into it, keeping his voice down.

"Make that _four_ of us, sweetie", a new, female voice cut in, bringing the three beings to turn their heads in its direction.

The two humans and their visitor from outer space saw Harley Quinn as the young woman had changed from her red business suit to the tight black and red costume she used to wear when Batman pursued her during her days as the Joker's accomplice. The only difference in Harley's outfit was that she had hadn't bothered to don the uniform's headgear of the white mask with attached hair tassels. Instead, the Arkham doctor left her face and head unchanged, keeping her two regular ponytails that protruded away from each other at the top and back of her head.

"Forget it", were the only words out of Batman's mouth as he made a horizontal chopping gesture with his left forearm, indicating his decision wasn't to be argued with.

"You haven't seen some monster _kill_ Mr J, have you?", Harley wished he wouldn't argue so much about this, even though she knew he would do so when she made her decision to dress in more comfortable, though distinctive, clothes, "Or else, you would've mentioned it. I'm facing him if he's still alive, Brucey. And if he's not, then I want to see it with my own two eyes".

"Harley! Not now!", her consort's voice deepened at the usual aggravation that occurred when the crusader didn't get his way, his stern facial expression not softening even when the smaller woman walked up to him so she was standing within an arm's range and locked eyes with the older man.

"How much time are you planning to waste by arguing, sweetie?", the blonde continued, almost playfully placing her hands within pockets that were available near her waistline, "Unless, of course, you two boys plan to knock me _out_ before running off?".

"Bats, we don't have _time_ for this!", Nightwing commented from his own position, lightly gripping the caped crusader's shoulder with one hand, and was answered with only a low growl from his leader, so the shorter man promptly let him go while putting the cellphone away.

"You stay behind one of us at _all_ times", Batman finally instructed the doctor from Arkham, who flashed a wide smile at his comment, though the crimefighter wished he truly did have the time to verbally argue with her, or the impudence to render her unconscious.

With the four individuals having started their march towards the open Batmobile, it was Nightwing who thought of a new idea.

"Are we notifying the cops about this, Bats?", the younger man asked, throwing a glance in his partner's direction.

"Not now", the older man answered swiftly because he had already made up his mind about the issue earlier, "I'll go to the Gotham PD personally and speak to them after conversing with our visitor's friends. Anonymous phone calls to the department will achieve nothing at this point, except to send unprepared officers to examine creatures who will kill them in the process".

His former sidekick almost opened his mouth to protest, but then realized that while he didn't personally like the idea of keeping the city officials in the dark regarding this threat, he also didn't have a better idea. It really would've been more useful to get a clearer picture of the monsters they were dealing with, even before enlisting the other Predators' help in hunting for the Aliens. Besides, the delay should only cost them thirty minutes to an hour at most, or at least Nightwing hoped.

Reaching the parked Batmobile, the younger man was about to settle himself within the front passenger seat, as was customary through the many years he had served alongside his instructor. But a quick grip of his shoulder from Batman, followed by a subtle indication to the rear passenger seat behind Nightwing's usual front seat indicated to him that the caped crusader wished differently. Batman wanted the young man to allow the leviathan to occupy the front passenger seat, while Nightwing was placed behind the giant. Getting the hint, Nightwing did just that, coming to a temporary rest behind the front passenger seat while Harley jumped onto the area next to him. While that occurred, Batman placed himself behind the steering wheel, leaving the Predator to settle down in the only area available, that being the front passenger seat, directly in front of Nightwing's position.

So despite bringing the huge hunter along, Batman wasn't anywhere close to being able to trust the behemoth. That much was now obvious to his second-in-command.

"Seatbelts on", the caped crusader instructed to everyone as he revved the engine and the vehicle's roof closed over everyone's head, "And, Red, please show us the way".

The evening promised to be eventful, if nothing else.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	4. Chapter 4

+15 minutes later+

It was a short time of riding in the Batmobile, fortunately finding streets that were deserted enough that the caped crusader could afford to driving faster than the speed limit. He also ignored Stop signs and red lights as he rushed in the direction that the extra-terrestrial creature indicated. With the time being just prior midnight on a weekday, it was understandable why most Gotham citizens weren't outdoors. That only helped the quartet in reaching this destination faster, though forcing Batman to ignore a pair of suspicious activities that he would've normally stopped to investigate. But with time being of the essence, the crimefighter had to look past his initial reaction and keep driving, knowing that where he was heading was too important to delay due to the possibility of a car break-in or drugs being sold on a street corner.

Ultimately, the leviathan in the front passenger seat of the Batmobile indicated towards an alleyway behind Washington Ave, which Batman remembered to be eerily close to the spot where he had beaten up on the Joker before brawling against Red himself. So the driver parked the automobile outside the pathway, noticing that this alley was at least twice as wide and several times longer than the previous one where he met the extra-terrestrials for the first time.

Exiting the car, the human leader pressed a single button on his utility belt once his three passengers were outside also, which activated a metal exoskeleton to cover the entire surface of the vehicle. The protective cover hadn't finished spreading to the last bit of the Batmobile before the masked giant marched off towards the end of the dark, trash-filled alleyway, either ignoring his human companions or simply being too excited to patiently make his way there. That only prompted the three humans to rush to catch up with him, careful to not turn on any flashlights due to the concern of being spotted, and having to use illumination from the moon above or the distant streetlights that lined up the neighboring streets. Disagreeing with Red's advance as the Predator loudly walked in the middle of the pathway, with no effort made to remain quiet, Batman placed his upper back against one end of the alley, always keeping Harley within an arm's reach. As he did, Nightwing pressed his figure against the wall at the opposite side of the passageway. All three humans found it strange that there was nothing at the end of the alleyway that the 7-foot tall hunter was eagerly moving towards. Not that the giant seemed to notice, or care, as he continued walking about three quarters of the way into the area.

"Red!", Nightwing was the first to speak out, and was either ignored or not heard by the juggernaut that he was addressing from his end of the alley.

"RED!", the young man whispered in as loud a manner as he could, finally getting the humanoid creature to stop and turn to face the caller's direction, moonlight shining off the metal mask, "There's nothing there! Where're we going?".

Almost in response to his question, five sources of light appeared from about thirty yards above, shaped in a circular group illuminating the alleyway with such intense white light that it was a nearly complete simulation of daytime. Looking up, the humans were surprised that the beams of light were emanating from nothing, as they simply hung in mid-air above where they stood, though the Predator didn't bother looking up, keeping his gaze towards the end of the passageway instead. Then, one after the other, a dozen other creatures who appeared to be the same size as Red became visible in front of the four visitors, with all the extra-terrestrials looking the same, though three were not wearing a visor in front of their face, revealing a grotesque face that could be found underneath. The twelve currently-visible Predators quickly rushed forward, grabbing a hold of the humans and pushing them towards where Red stood, though three creatures concentrated on manhandling Batman, while a sole creature was used to move Nightwing and Harley into that area. The larger number of leviathans then surrounded the three humans and the fourth Predator inside a circle whose radius was about ten yards long, continually clicking to themselves as the Earth natives looked back and forth at them, though Red kept his concentrated attention ahead of himself.

Looking to see what had their informant so occupied, Batman realized that the Batcave visitor had his eyes locked with another Predator who was at the head of the circle that surrounded them, this one dressed the same as all the other hunters, except that his mask was coloured crimson instead of gold. Recognizing that this particular Predator had also been at the alleyway when Batman fought against Red, the human squeezed Harley's hand in an effort to calm the anxious young woman down, before Harley squeezed back and stayed quiet.

It was only then that the humans heard the leader of the Predator pack as the individual in the red facial disguise pointed towards Red and screamed an accusatory, inhuman cry.

In response, Red angrily clenched his fists by his sides, flexing the muscles in his arms as the subordinate warrior shrieked back. That was then followed by yet another warcry from the giant in the red mask.

When it was Red's turn to respond, the extra-terrestrial stayed silent for an instant, instead pointing towards where Batman stood, and only then answered with a lower tone of voice.

"I tollld you! Speak hisss lannnguage!", the giant furiously demanded of his leader, which only led to another unearthly scream from the alien chief who was being addressed.

When Red did not respond at all this time, the beast in the red visor finally exhaled loudly through the metal in front of his face, slowly looking at his fellow Predators for several seconds while clicking to himself, before returning his gaze on Red himself.

"Then we ssshhhall do ssso", the two-legged monster who was dressed in less traditional crimson finally replied, thankfully in a lower tone this time, "I assummmed you returrrned to explain yourssself. Inssstead I see that you brrrought himmm _here_! With hisss friends! Explllain yourself!".

"My battllle with this one isss over", Red replied, pointing towards Batman again, "And I havvve learned much innn the prrrocess. I cannot and _willllll_ not conscientiously continnnue our Hunnnt".

That drew several more clicks from the surrounding creatures, louder this time, as the surprise of what they were hearing registered.

"Lorrrd, I dutifully asssk that you cease thisss Hunnnt at once, and assissst the humans in cleannnsing this city of the xenomorrrphs", Red continued, bowing his head as he spoke this time, which only seemed to infuriate the leader he spoke to.

"You darrre speak of duty!", the individual in the red mask angrily shot back, not having calmed down as Red had, "You, who lossst a battle to a hummman! Who absssconded from the pack! Who, worsst of all, brought hummmans back to our position!".

"We are wrrrong about humans!", Red countered, his own tone rising in kind, "They are not the honnnorless parasites we are made to belllieve! This one spared my lifffe after defeating me. Did you nnnot see?"

"This isss not about the human's disgrace! It isss about YOURRRS!", the Predator leader thundered back, pointing towards the alien warrior with a right index finger, "In centtturies of the Hunt, not a sssingle Yaujta interrracted with a tarrrget as you have! And you darrre make demmmands when you return ttto the pack! I should exxxecute you on the ssspot for yourrr dishonor!".

As he was speaking, no one at the scene noticed Batman carefully letting go of Harley's hand and slyly reaching for and withdrawing two batarangs, one in each hand, as the conversation was turning more hostile.

"There is no dishonor in interrracting with one who has ssspared my life!", Red argued back, pointing towards his leader's torso in turn, "Dropping the egg-hatchers on Earrrth was a mistake. One that we ssshhhould rectify".

More hisses and clicks from the Predator chief, until the giant ultimately spoke up again.

"You will do nnno such thing", the leader answered more calmly this time, "You will returrrn abroad and await yourrr punishment. The onllly reason you are nottt dead where you stand isss because you succeeded innn achieving one of ourrr missions through yourrr ineptitude and treachery".

"You are beinnng counterproductive!", Red screamed back, continuously pointing at his former leader, even as his fellow hunters began closing in around him and the three humans, "You arrre also lying to us! The environnnment in our homeworld is being ruinnned, our cities are fighting warrrs with each other for rrreasons that are unknown to theirrr warriors, all of which are shorrrtening the Yaujtas' lifessspans. And all you leaderrrs do is pressure us to worry about becommming better hunter-warriorrrs! Anyone who mentionnns concerns regarding the environnnment in our homeworld and our mysssterious wars is ostracized! If you werrre right all along and these hummmans are truly as devoid of honnnor as you claim, then why did thisss one spare me? Why are you refusssing to…".

A shrill scream from the alien leader interrupted the warrior's reprimand, the Predator in the red mask stretching his arms in front of his torso as his hands pointed diagonally towards the ground, readying into a fighting stance. The chief then returned to speaking in his own language, only this time addressing the other hunters who had the humans and the rogue extra-terrestrial surrounded.

In obeying the chief's command, the circle of Predators that had bordered the four individuals became tighter. The hunters withdrew several different kinds of weapons as they warily came closer, in a repetition of the situation Batman had found himself in after having initially defeated Red. In response to the impending threat, the caped crusader kept the batarangs in his hands and still managed to grip Harley via both upper arms and lifted her off the ground. He then quickly repositioned her in between the rebellious hunter and Nightwing, before Batman himself enclosed the young woman from the third side, effectively creating a triangle between the backs of the three fighters and placing her in the middle of it.

From his point of view, Red withdrew the 10-inch wide, circular blade again, readying to use it on the first hunter who attacked him, before the pack's leader screamed out, this time in outrage at seeing that the disobedient alien was ready to fight against his own kind. Lastly, Nightwing pressed a small button on the base of both his fingerless gloves, activating the gloves' metal interior and causing a thick, razor-sharp blade to extend three inches past both his clenched fists as he remained in a fighting stance.

Clicks continued from the enemies as they had the humans and the rogue giant surrounded, everyone there knowing that the four targets wouldn't last long upon the outbreak of an all-out battle. But it was then that laughter emanated from a spot above everyone's head, causing the individuals in the alley to look up, and also surprising the three humans there. That's because they saw Joker standing just above and next to the circle of five lights that were emanating from thirty yards up. The interruption also caused the tightening circle of aggressive Predators to stop advancing towards their opponents, even if the mostly-masked juggernauts didn't step back. Up above, directly behind the escaped criminal was yet another extra-terrestrial hunter, as that giant was within an arm's range of the white-skinned human. Both beings stood in front of a door-shaped entrance that was evident behind them, obviously the only visible part of a large, otherwise invisible machine that hovered above. Soon, even that entryway disappeared, becoming invisible in its own turn, and left the Joker standing on the high, unseen platform, as the nearby Predator prodded him forward.

"Hey Harley", the Arkham inmate laughed to himself again, and then sniggered as he began climbing down what seemed to be a winding, invisible staircase, careful to hold on to an equally-invisible barrier that was nearby via his right hand, while the Predator followed close behind him, "Long time no see there".

"Hey puddin'", the blonde replied, her tone of voice reflecting none of the enthusiasm she used to make that statement with earlier in her life.

Just to emphasize the point, the counsellor pointed the back of her raised hand towards the still-descending escapee, thrusting her middle finger vertically in the air, which only prompted another fit of laughter from her antagonist.

"Oh, gosh!", Joker caught his breath when he finished the hysterics while his feet finally left the invisible stairs and planted themselves on the ground, the Predator following him the whole time, "But are we really _that_ bad now, Harley, dear? Do you hate me _so_ much that you're willing to ally yourself with the _Bat_ in order to get back to me?".

His face twisted into the opposite of the jovial expression he had carried so far when he made a reference to the caped crusader, his eyes narrowing and lips snarling in anger as he made eye contact with Batman. But as unpredictable as ever, the irate look on his features was then quickly changed to pain.

"After all we've been through", he pressed his criss-crossed palms over his heart, feigning emotional sorrow, "_This_ is how you treat me? We can't even be friends, Harley?".

"What are you up to, Joker? What are you doing with these creatures?", Batman barked back before she could think of a reply.

"Me?", the psychotic convict innocently pointed towards himself, "Just spending time with friends, Bats, that's all, and I'm feeling _pretty_ comfy here. Too bad the same thing can't be said about you, huh? See, I thought I was done for after that giant cockroach pulled me up, but then one of my pals here took care of the cockroach _for_ me. Didn't you?".

He heartily slapped his nearby Predator on the upper arm, causing the larger creature to simply stare back down towards the smaller human, constantly clacking and hissing the entire time.

"And I thought that I was done for afterwards, Bats", Joker continued after he turned his attention back to his pursuer, "But then, something _magical_ happened".

He opened his hands wide, spreading them in an outward motion from his arms.

"I bet you're wondering what that was, aren't you?", the man with the white face continued grinning, though he received no answer from any of the individuals in front of him, the ones who were unmasked and the ones with a visor only staring at him.

"Well I'll tell you anyway", he quickly followed through before slowing to his usual speech, "See, these boys were soooooo eager to get into a fight with someone who could provide them with a challenge, that they were willing to spare little old moi in exchange for my help in baiting and luring the best human fighter this world has to offer. The ultimate human prey, as it were. Care to guess who that _is_, Bats, my boy? See, that's why they're not shooting you full of holes now, Bats, because they want to dismember you in a man-a-mano fight instead. And they're _so_ obsessed with the thrill of the fight that they even refuse to have you raging on before they ring the bell. That's also the reason why they're not killing your younger brother or Harley there. Some hogwash about an opponent not fighting to his full potential if he's full of rage".

A new fit of laughter took over Joker's continence, though not as loud as before.

"Personally, I'd rather see you all screaming in anger and grief over the loss of your friends before your limbs are ripped out of their sockets, but that's just me", he continued after a few seconds.

"Well then, _you_ sure made out like a bandit", Nightwing countered for the group, "Nice bodyguards you have. Except that you didn't lure us here, did you? We came of our own free will, actually _looking_ for your friends. Which kinda makes _your_ end of the bargain useless, no?".

"What?", Joker turned his head so as to look up towards his nearby Predator, who in turn had his own attention set on the chief in the red mask, "That's not tr...".

It was the last thing the human in the inmate's uniform got to say, since the leader of the hunters nodded once. That led to the Predator who was next to Joker to reach down before he easily twisted the convict's neck. A sharp crack reverberated in the otherwise silent alleyway as Harley gasped, covering her mouth with the right palm, while Nightwing grimaced at the result, with Batman's expression remaining unchanged. That led to Joker's broken body to slump lifelessly on the ground, next to the feet of the hunter who had killed him.

"So that was your plan", Batman gritted his teeth as he addressed the Predator chief, the larger creature who was beyond the circle of extra-terrestrials still standing by himself, saying nothing, though his silence was still a confirmation of the caped crusader's statement, "I'm glad the fish were so eager to jump into your net".

The behemoth behind the crimson mask uttered something in his own language, addressing the combatants who had surrounded the four individuals within the circle. In response to his command, several of the Predators there roughly grabbed a hold of Nightwing, Harley and their rebellious soldier, though two beings set against Red in their effort to properly restrain him.

Ignoring the swears and physical resistance from all three individuals, the extra-terrestrials dragged them away from Batman, pressing Nightwing, Harley and Red back-first against the wall at the side of the alleyway. Following orders, a single Predator restrained each of the humans via their shoulder while two aliens held back the rogue hunter. The Predators kept a steel grip on their prisoners, despite constantly fidgeting their attention from their task to the scene that unfolded between their leader and the masked human who remained in the middle of the alley.

"Sweetie? What're you...", was all the worried woman got to say before the Predator who was guarding her roughly covered her mouth with his left palm, impacting the back of her skull against the wall behind her in the process.

"Hey! Son of a...", Nightwing instinctively gripped his own sentry's left wrist, whose hand was clamped on his right shoulder, in an effort to escape the giant's grasp.

In response, that particular monster extended his right forearm in the direction of the human's head and held his own fist a foot away from Nightwing's face. But the young man was still struggling, swiping both his sharpened gloves against the creature's forearm, drawing an abundant amount of neon green blood out of the wound, though the guard's body language didn't seem to register pain. Nightwing was about to follow up that initial attack with a kick to the behemoth's kneecap when his restraining Predator's right forearm prompted twin blades to shoot past the top of the monster's wrist, stopping half an inch away from the crimefighter's cheek.

The message was clear enough. So Nightwing ceased resisting and gave up on the idea of further assaults, exhaling loudly in exasperation as he wondered how his guard still maintained a strong grip on his shoulder, considering the Predator's forearm bled profusely even now.

Seeing the defeat, the alien creature withdrew the twin blades back into the compartment over his right forearm, and then gripped the human by both shoulders, still ignoring the injury to his right arm as he turned his attention to the side to see what was occurring in the alleyway.

"If you want to challenge me, then you let them go first!", Batman commanded, his eyes set on the Predator in the crimson face protector as he pointed towards his friends via an extended arm and index finger, though he didn't turn to look at the latter, "And I mean all three of them. Not just my own two. I'll fight you after they're out of harm's way".

"Negatttive!", the Predator chief countered, "They may returrrn and bring weaponnns to use against us durrring the match".

Among the many clicks from the extra-terrestrials there, Batman threw a quick glance in the direction where his comrades were held, making brief eye contact with Harley first and Nightwing second, followed by a subtle visual scan of the area around him. It was enough for him to know that while some adversaries held his companions at bay against the alley wall, most of the remaining creatures were still haphazardly positioned in different spots, even while he was addressing their leader. He couldn't try anything subtle with so many eyes on him, so he placed his batarangs away.

The caped crusader surmised that it was because they had been notified that he defeated his original opponent earlier tonight, which was most likely a concept that these beings were not used to. In addition, if Joker had been telling the truth, and Batman had no reason to think that the criminal wasn't, then the Predators wished to challenge him to a fight again. Thus, they would want to be wary around him due to the danger he could pose to their safety. Plus, it'd take even more hunters to properly restrain him without doing any damage if he were to attack now, if they were adamant to have him fight one of their own while he was physically and mentally unharmed.

"You humannns will be allowed to go safely, afffter your battle against me, whether you're victorious or not, as long as they do not inttterfere", the Predator in charge continued, drawing Batman's attention, "But the traitttor stays here".

Thoughts raced through Batman's mind. They started with the safety of his brethren, followed by the danger that these creatures were posing to his city while releasing and then hunting Xenomorph Aliens. And finally, regarding the welfare of the rogue extra-terrestrial who was possibly facing execution if the Predators got their way.

There seemed to be only one way to increase the chances of him escorting Nightwing and Harley out of this alleyway, and hunting the remaining xenormorphs, and demanding that Red be allowed to remain free. And that was if he defeated the monster in the crimson mask who was currently removing all the weapons that the hunter carried on himself, though the chief opted to leave the metal visor on his face.

"I demand your word that you let my friends go unharmed after the battle is over", the caped crusader angrily countered, the better to not make it obvious that he was planning to disrupt the hunters' plans to re-acquire their rogue later on.

"I will consssent to that", the creatures' superior clicked further while stepping ahead of the pile of dangerous and exotic weaponry that now laid by his feet, and in the process confirming that he would be the human's challenger.

He intentionally kept the two sets of blades retracted in their compartment above the forearms, and his shoulder-strapped projectile weapon pointing safely away from everybody, the better to ensure his idea of a fair fight. So while the giant remained still, Batman turned into a fighting stance, causing the other Predators to respectfully give the two combatants more room, even as they casually kicked Joker's body aside to clear the dirty passageway of all obstacles.

The monster reared his head up, partly staring up at the night sky that was past the sources of light which shone above everyone. His arms spread wide in front of him, almost appearing as if he was about to embrace someone, though one look at the tension in his body would quickly convince anyone that he was ready for combat. In that stance, the Predator chief screamed as his muscular arms widened further, either stretching himself or simply arousing his crowd.

It was the last movement he undertook before he turned into a fighting stance himself, but by that time, surprise registered behind the metallic faceguard when he saw Batman hurling towards him in a flying kick. The human had moved faster than the extra-terrestrial thought possible, the bottom of the caped crusader's foot slamming into what may have been the Predator's solar plexus. The blow caused the behemoth to grunt, more so in surprise than in pain.

Despite the power and weight placed behind the flying kick, the giant's only reaction was to take two, involuntary steps backwards, before he regained his usual composure. Eager for his chance, the beast threw a curved punch towards the smaller human's head, aiming to crush the Earth native's skull early in the fight. The Predator's fist met only air as Batman had already ducked out of the way of the giant arm. The versatile human then placed his palms against the ground and lowered his body. Bending his left knee and placing his entire weight on his arms and left leg, Batman swung his right leg counter-clockwise and parallel to the ground. His right ankle smacked into the side of his opponent's feet and knocked the giant's left leg out from under him, sending the Predator crashing towards the ground in a scream of outrage.

The seven-foot tall creature landed hard on his back and yelled again, this time in pain. Both sets of twin blades extended past the top of his wrists, the hunter angrily deciding to forgo his previous, self-imposed rule to not use weapons. Before he could climb back up to his feet, he saw that the human had already withdrawn a retractable, curved blade that roughly resembled the outline of a bat. The smaller opponent leapt up to a vertical position, his silhouette blocking out most of the overhead lights and enveloping the hunter in shadow. Batman finished the upward jump that returned him to a standing position while his opponent was still partly horizontal on the ground. The human then swung the weapon downward with his right arm, using gravity to help him deliver a stronger stab aimed towards the downed Predator's left shoulder.

Somewhere in the alien leader's mind, the hunter wondered why this man was only aiming for his shoulder and not a more vital body part. Was it because the human had miscalculated the neck? Or because he wished to keep his prey alive so as to torment him longer, rather than delivering a fatal blow? And if it was the latter, did his desire to not kill his opponent emanate from over-confidence, or plain stupidity?

The Predator didn't know, and while he lay on his back in the heat of battle, he decided that he didn't care, as the monster's left arm shot vertically away from his body. His hand wrapped around Batman's throat and locked his fingers there in a steel grip before the human could stab him with the circular blade. He kept his larger arm extended straight so the smaller adversary's blade couldn't reach his head or torso afterwards.

The Predator chief climbed back up to his feet, dragging Batman back to a standing position alongside him, his eyes on the human's figure as his prey couldn't breathe while the left grip was tightened around his throat. He then crouched, vehemently slamming the side of the human's head against the concrete ground, an act which definitely dazed the smaller fighter, though it failed to force the human to drop his circular weapon.

Regardless, the hunter had beaten his quarry badly enough to consider himself victorious, so he rose back up to a fully standing position, pulling the stunned adversary with him again. He heard the human female shrieking in the distance, but ignored it as he kept his attention on the adversary. That's because Batman was still dangerous enough to angrily slash the creature's left forearm with the circular blade, creating rivulets of bright green blood that emanated from the deep wound before landing on the ground below. Hissing from the pain, the Predator kept his left arm straight and rigid as he curved his right arm and slowly withdrew it, ready to send the two blades that were still sticking out from the top of that forearm into this enemy's face. This battle was going to be finished once and for all, and there were to be no questions as to who the winner was.

But a commotion occurred further away from the battle scene, prompting the hunter to turn his head in that direction just in time to see that the human female had somehow slipped out of her guardian's grip. The giant chief saw that the blonde-haired woman in the red and black outfit was moving surprisingly fast for someone that small. Regardless of her size, she still managed to rush in his direction, an enraged look on her face as she managed to outrun her large pursuer.

The leader of the extra-terrestrials made a mental note to chastise the warrior who had allowed the tiny human to escape from him, and to make matters worse, who was now being successfully evaded by his prey. But for now, the chief casually released his left grip on Batman's neck and allowed the caped crusader to flop painfully on the ground. That's because Harley had bolted towards where he stood, apparently eager to challenge the masked giant. Her intentions became clear when the Arkham doctor came within an arm's reach of the Predator leader and swiftly kicked him in the groin, putting as much strength into her leg as possible while she delivered the blow.

Unfortunately for Harley, the hunter showed no reaction to her attack, much less one where he doubled over in pain, as she had hoped he would. Instead, the behemoth simply stared down at her, exhaling angrily through his crimson mask at her daring to interrupt the battle that he was immersed in.

Surprisingly, the Predator didn't hit her back, opting to remain standing still as both creatures only looked back at each other, even while Batman was beginning to climb back on his hands and knees. But then, it became apparent why the chief hunter hadn't struck the young woman, and it was because he was expecting the Predator who had been guarding her to do so on his behalf. That was only the beginning of that lower-ranked hunter's atoning for having allowed her to escape in the first place.

As expected, Harley's former guard took aim with the shoulder-fired projectile weapon that he carried, sending a shot that was aimed for the young woman's head. While that occurred, Nightwing used the distraction of having his own sentinel looking towards the turmoil, so the crimefighter swiftly slipped out of the giant's single-handed grip by dropping towards the floor.

Harley didn't see the extra-terrestrial's ammunition flying towards her, as she was breathing heavily while angrily looking at the juggernaut that she had kicked, then to Batman, then back to the hunter in front of her. Along the concerns for her consort's well-being, a small voice in the back of her head asked why the huge creature wasn't reacting as furiously as she thought he would, given the gravity of her actions. But the answer soon made itself be known when she heard another male voice calling out her name just as someone tackled her from behind, causing her body to spin from the blow, before that person pinned her to the ground. She landed hard back-first on the ground, screaming out in agony as she spotted Nightwing on top of her, the masked fighter coming face to face with her in that position. But even in that uncomfortable state, she was able to notice the orange-colored projectile that sailed through the area where her head had been less than a second ago, before the shot itself punched a hole in the wall several yards away.

The doctor from Arkham bit her tongue to stop the urge to scream further in reaction to the combination of seeing Batman almost killed, the physical pain of her body hitting the ground and the realization that she had almost died. Finally, there came the awareness that she could do nothing to protect Batman once the chief hunter decided to resume the attack against him. But before she could even think of an action that could try to improve this situation, she felt Nightwing's right palm pressing against her mouth, her companion's fingerless gloves already having their blades retracted back within them.

Obviously, he wanted to make sure she wouldn't say anything, while he addressed the standing giants himself.

"Don't shoot!", the young crimefighter pointed his left palm towards the Predator who had opened fire, then threw a quick glance at his own guard, before looking up into the face of the chief who was nearest to them, "Don't shoot her, OK? I promise you that she won't interfere any more. Just don't do anything drastic".

Hearing his words was enough of an incentive for the blonde woman to violently shake her head, until she was able to slip her mouth free from under his palm.

"Screw you!", Harley furiously barked back at the man who still remained on top of her, prompting the masked combatant to look down into her eyes, his face unreadable for once, "I'm not letting them...!".

He interrupted by adamantly shoving his right palm against the lower half of her face again, causing her to moan the rest of her statement in an unintelligible manner.

"I won't let him die!", Nightwing whispered back, in a tone that she suspected was soft enough so she'd be the only one to hear him, "I promise. Just trust me on this".

He pressed his hand even harder into her mouth, his eyes locked with hers and indicating that he wasn't planning on releasing his hold on her until she agreed to abide by what he said.

Harley's chest and throat tightened as tears coated her eyes. Anger, grief and frustration flooded her mind as she understood that she couldn't think of a way to save Batman from the fate that was awaiting him once this distraction ended and the monsters returned to their despicable ritual. So telling herself that she may as well let Grayson do things his way, especially considering that she doubted the young man wished to save his mentor any less than she did, she nodded her head once. That induced him to finally remove his right hand from her lower face before he carefully stood up.

Moving slow enough so as to not give any of their adversaries a reason to take another shot at them, Nightwing looked up at the Predator chief again before the leader's lack of aggression indicated to him that it was safe to stir. So he offered Harley his right hand, which the doctor squeezed and used to be helped back up to a standing position. Once vertical, the blonde woman dried her tears with her left hand while she threw a glance in Batman's direction. She made sure to lock eyes with the older man before the caped crusader only nodded back, knowing they wouldn't have permission for verbal communication here. It was all they had time for before the same two Predator guards roughly dragged her and Nightwing back to the wall where Red was still being restrained by two equally-large hunters.

It was a return to their previous state, with Nightwing and Harley being slammed back-first against the alley wall behind them, restrained next to the rebellious Predator. This time, though, their two guards pressed a forearm underneath each of the humans' chin, the better to secure them in place. From there, the otherworldly hunters also gave no attention to the makeshift arena where their leader squared off against the human gladiator, surmising that they should be watching their prisoners rather than the nearby battle. After all, it was fortunate that their chief wasn't infuriated at their recent failure, so neither giant was in the mood to risk failure, as well as their superior's wrath, by allowing the elusive Earth natives to slip through their grip for the second time.

Several yards away from the small group that remained by the side of the passageway, the leader of the hunters surveyed his opponent, breathing hard between clicks as he watched Batman climbing back to a standing position. So the giant took several, casual steps backwards, his eyes remaining on the caped crusader, the blood-colored mask on his face hiding whatever expression he may have been wearing at the prospect of having to continue this battle. First, the creature raised his face towards the sky, his long, possibly metallic hair waving behind his head in the process, and gave a yell as he clenched and unclenched his fists in anticipation. Then, relaxing the muscular arms by his side, the chief levelled his head so as to be staring at his smaller adversary who was now standing up straight from about ten yards away. The giant's entire body turned invisible for a moment as his eyes shone like gold fire, before the eyes returned to their normal state and his body was visible again.

Batman returned to a fighting stance as the circular, bat-shaped blade remained in his right grip, mentally rushing to come up with a plan to deal with this situation while finding it hard to breathe. The impact of his head against the ground had renewed the pain to the injury that was dealt to his stomach earlier tonight, so the fresh pressure in his skull was hard to ignore as he tried to pay attention to the task ahead. There was no time to glance towards his comrades, not when this battle was about to be continued beneath the white lights that still hovered overhead. So the masked crimefighter repeated to himself that this opponent was not to be engaged head-on, not when the extra-terrestrial was easily twice as strong as the human had been in the latter's prime. That's because despite having spent half his life studying different martial arts, and lifting weights, climbing rope and swimming, the caped crusader had been unable to get out of the Predator's grip when the behemoth had single-handedly grabbed his throat. Both he and the Predator chief knew this. Thus, that only left the prospect of fighting faster than his opponent could react, and being so swift so as to avoid giving the giant a chance to successfully land another blow.

Not that Batman lacked experience in fighting opponents who were bigger and stronger than him, as antagonists like Killer Croc Morgan and Bane had challenged him on several occasions. But the different variable about the chief hunter was that this particular opponent was also cunning. The red-masked Predator knew that he was stronger, but never fought a battle where he depended solely on his strength, as Batman's past enemies had. So someone who seemed to possess Bane's might and Nightwing's agility was a fearsome monster indeed.

The idea of using his pre-pressurized grappling hook as an offensive weapon entered the human's mind. But he was wary of doing so, as that may have been seen as cheating, which would lead to the alien leader, and possibly the other Predators also, to open fire via their shoulder-carried cannons in retaliation. So that left Gotham's protector with the sole hope that he could be more swift in battle than the extra-terrestrial hunter already was.

The time for talk had apparently come to an end, even without an official signal to indicate it, because the beast rushed forward, easily crossing the ten yards of space that separated him from the human in one lunge. The Predator swung his right arm as he reached his opponent, looking to skewer Batman via the twin blades that protruded from the back of his wrist. Except that the knives that were attached to his arm made no contact, as the crimefighter had leapt vertically in the air at the perception of the attack, putting as much strength into his own legs as possible. Batman reached the highest spot possible, and followed the dodge with a drop kick aimed at the giant's head, the bottom of both his shoes smacking into the side of his opponent's skull.

The extra-terrestrial leader staggered back from the blow as the caped crusader landed back on his feet. Batman reacted gracefully as his legs bent from the impact, groaning in response to the pain before he stood back up in a fighting stance. Pursuing his foe, the crimefighter swung with the bat-shaped blade in his right hand, aiming for the middle of the hunter's chest. The giant blocked by bending his own left elbow and impacting the outside of that forearm against the inside of Batman's right wrist, effectively stopping the attack.

Not discouraged, the smaller fighter withdrew his right arm and twisted to his own left, before sending the bottom of his right foot into the monster's left knee, trying to ignore the fact that he felt like he was trying to kick down a tree. But the tactic worked since the Predator chief wailed in pain as his back arched and his masked face aimed towards the sky. Even though the leviathan's knee remained unbroken, the hunter found himself in an unusual position, where he intentionally retreated backwards, clearly favoring his right leg as he proceeded away from his adversary.

The monster acted in a surprising fashion, opting to retract the two sets of blades that rested on his lower arms, and clenched his fists, preferring to take his time to make this human pay for daring to last as long as the Earth native did. No longer satisfied with killing his prey with the quick thrust of a knife, the Predator exhaled through the mask as he swung his right arm, that fist sailing over Batman's head as the human ducked, and then drove the sharp edge of his bat-shaped weapon into the creature's wrist. But ignoring the bright green blood that burst out of his artery, the hunters' leader continued with the second part of his plan, as he had been ready to accept injury to that arm. The Predator used the crucial second that Batman had used to slash open his wrist and sent his left fist into the caped crusader's ribcage, solidly connecting with the smaller fighter's torso.

Batman shrieked in pain as he suspected several of his ribs had cracked from the blow as his body was lifted several inches into the air as a result, and he heard Harley screaming in shock off in the distance. As his feet touched back down on the ground, the human caught sight of the beast sending a clenched right fist towards his face, apparently not distressed at the green blood that coated the giant's right forearm and dripped on the ground. Ignoring the nearly crippling pain in his torso, the smaller gladiator gripped his right fingers around the bat-like blade and raised that curled arm to meet the chief's punch. The sharp edge of the weapon was buried into the hunter's knuckles as the extra-terrestrial then felt fresh blood gushing out of the top of his hand now.

Hissing in a combination of pain and fury, the Predator withdrew his twice-injured right arm before executing a front kick with his left leg, attacking so quickly that Batman didn't even see the strike. Instead, the human only felt the bottom of the monster's left foot as it crashed into his damaged ribs and sent him hurling backwards, amid cheers from the surrounding hunters that stifled Harley's second distressed cry.

The caped crusader spread his arms wide in the hope of reducing the damage done once he landed back-first about a dozen yards away. Regardless, all the effort and training didn't keep him from closing his eyes and yelling anew when his battered body landed on the unforgiving concrete.

The pain in his back, stomach, head, and ribs didn't matter. He couldn't pay attention to them now, not when he had lost this battle and surrendered his three followers to their fate if he didn't stand back up. So Batman groaned as he slowly and shakily returned to a vertical position. He found it odd that the monster casually stood a dozen yards away and patiently waited for him to be on his feet again, when the Predator could've easily attacked before he fully stabilized. But the hunter did just that, enjoying the liveliness of his followers as he anticipated having Batman back to a standing position, though the latter took at least ten seconds to be vertical and stop swaying as if he was drunk.

Once back to a fighting stance, the caped crusader noticed that his bat-shaped blade had slipped out of his hand while he was being tossed aside, so he opted to not look for the weapon. That's because he was too busy coughing violently, blood emanating from his mouth and staining his costume in the process. But he couldn't afford to be distracted any further, even though he wasn't able to stop coughing, causing a tremendous amount of pain within his torso in the process. After all, he witnessed the Predator leader withdrawing a ten-inch wide, circular blade now.

Quickly extracting his arm, the extra-terrestrial flung the frisbee-like blade in the human's direction, the circular knife flying through the air and aiming to decapitate Batman where he stood. So the human groaned in pain again as he dropped flat on the ground, lying on his stomach and watching the projectile weapon fly over his position.

He followed its trail overhead, as the blade flew in an oval pattern, almost reaching the beginning of the alleyway behind everyone, and then turning around and heading back towards where the Predator chief remained. The giant creature was readying to receive it back into his right hand as that happened. It was during that time that Batman withdrew his pre-pressurized grappling hook and aimed it for the hunter's chest, reasoning that if his opponent was going to use projectile weapons, then he had earned the right to do the same.

The caped crusader fired into his adversary's direction, the four teeth that constituted the hook slamming into the exact middle of the alien's torso and sending the giant flying backwards with a screech. The Predator finally stopped when his back crashed into a wall that was the alley's dead end which was several yards behind him, clumsily returning to a standing position as he angrily pulled the roped hook out of his body armor.

The beast became increasingly annoyed at this prey's resourcefulness, especially after it ended with his uncaught circular blade being lodged in a nearby wall as a result of the attack on him. So the hunter hissed in fury as he lunged forward. He tackled Batman while the human was still struggling to get back to his feet, forcing the pressurized hook out of his hand, and then slammed the smaller opponent back-first into the ground. This time, the hunter gripped the human's neck with a left hand, ensuring that the prey wouldn't be rising again. Squatting next to the human's horizontal figure, the Predator kept his left arm extended as his fingers choked his adversary. While he did that, he also curled his right arm next to his own shoulder and extended the blades past his bloodied forearm, ready to finish this opponent.

More hysterical shrieks followed from the wall where the two humans and the disgraced Predator were being restrained. The chief hunter paid no attention to it, confident in his soldiers' ability to effectively quell the human female's attempts to intervene again. And he was correct, as further away, Harley found the hands that held her against the wall to be reinforced, making it impossible for her to slip out of her guard's grip, regardless of her efforts.

The young woman had been feeling steadily worse ever since she saw Batman flying backwards after being kicked in the chest. Her grief currently climaxed when she knew she was about to watch the older man die. To make matters worse, her own helplessness in the situation was only confirmed when she was kept immobile no matter how often she tried to slip out of the giant's hold, or stomp on his foot, or knee him in the groin. And why couldn't she breathe even though she was desperately trying to inhale through her nose and her mouth? It was bad enough that her vision was clouded due to the tears that gathered in front of her eyes before running down her face, and the fact that her arms were effectively restrained by her sides meant she couldn't even dry those eyes. But the tightness in her throat made it impossible to even breathe in the cool night air, which definitely didn't help.

"Bruce? BRUCIE!", was what the Arkham doctor managed to gasp between more tears, suddenly having forgotten the strict rule that she was to never refer to any of the crimefighters by their proper name when they were on assignment.

All those regulations and procedures just didn't seem so important any more. What was their significance when the person whose identity they were designed to protect was about to be executed? And come to think of it, what was the point of anything else once Batman died? How long would she be able to continue walking the straight and narrow path of a righteous life before the stress of everyday living caused her to revert back to her past persona, where she constantly preyed on others? Or would her life simply come to an end without the support of the one individual who was her constant crutch since her final parole from Arkham? If that happened, at least she wouldn't have to worry about possibly being insane at one point in the future anymore.

In any case, Harley felt her pessimistic thoughts being interrupted when her massive sentinel used his left hand to roughly cover her mouth, all the better to keep her quiet during his master's moment of glory.

Nearby, Nightwing held his breath as he activated the last-ditch plan he had formulated in his mind earlier. It was a plan he previously hoped he wouldn't have to use, but suspected he may need to do so since he hadn't been optimistic about his instructor's odds of winning the match. While keeping his upper arms by his side, the young man used his left lower arm to slyly reach within a compartment of his uniform. There, he wrapped his fingers around a metallic device that had the capability to project a thin, four-inch long tongue of extremely hot flame. It was a fire that was powerful enough to easily burn through metal, which the crimefighter had used to make his way past locked doors on many occasions in the past. Slowly withdrawing the small blowtorch, Nightwing also surveyed the position that his own guard was in,. He noticed that this Predator was holding the human's upper left arm with a right grip, which was the same alien's arm that the young man had slashed open a few minutes ago. Except that now, the injury on the giant's right wrist had cauterized itself, there only remaining blemishes of dried green blood there, and the monster wasn't applying any medical attention to keep the wound from worsening.

So keeping that point in his mind for future references, Nightwing used his left thumb to turn his miniature contraption on, activating the four-inch long tongue of flame. He bent his left elbow, bringing the weapon towards his own upper arm, and as such, towards the Predator's right wrist. Once there, the young man swung his left hand in a semi-circle and towards his enemy's limb, the flame he controlled easily cutting the hunter's hand off.

The Predator who was standing in front of Nightwing shrieked, his scream differing from his comrades' cheers. He thus attracted everyone's attention there, including that of his chief as the latter looked up to find the cause of the distress. The guard staggered away from his human prisoner, still yelling in pain as fresh green blood erupted out of the stump at his right wrist, while that severed hand remained on the Earth native's upper arm. As the giant quickly pressed his left palm on the wound, restricting the loss of blood, he began panting. While he did, the crimson-masked leader stood up from his own scene without killing Batman, though warily keeping one eye on the downed caped crusader and the other on his injured follower.

It only took a moment further for the wounded behemoth, as well as his companions and leader, to fix their irate attention on the dark-clothed human who had separated the hunter's hand from the rest of the arm. And while the Predator chief would normally have no problem authorizing the kill of a creature who had attacked one of his fighters in such a dishonorable way, there was something about Nightwing's relaxed demeanor that gave the extra-terrestrials a pause for concern. That's because the young man stepped away from the alley wall, leaving Harley and Red behind, and had already deactivated and put away the blowtorch. Instead, the smirking human carried a larger device in his right hand, one that was about three inches long and two inches wide, and then gave a wider smile when he pressed one of the buttons on this gadget.

In response to his command, everyone in the passageway heard and then saw the Batmobile first turning the corner into the alley and then slowly driving towards them. The crimefighters' vehicle had already shed its protective shell before reaching their position. Nightwing pressed a second button on his remote, which caused the Batmobile to stop about five yards away from the closest Predator at the scene. Having gotten their attention, the younger human then made eye contact with the Predator chief, glad to see that Batman was painfully rising to a seated position on the ground.

"Here's how it works, sasquatch", Nightwing raised his voice so as to be heard by everyone there, even though he kept addressing the giant leader only, "See this remote access here?".

He raised the metal apparatus several inches in the air, pointing it towards the chief.

"First button undoes the exoskeleton, second button brings the Batmobile to me", the masked crimefighter explained, keeping his voice as steady as he could manage, "Now this _third_ button here blows it up to kingdom come. The blast radius will be at least, _at least_, two hundred yards. You kill my boss, I push the button and we all continue this friendly sparring match in the afterlife. Unless of course you sasquatches are either strong enough to survive a fireball, or fast enough to outrun it".

His previous guard yelled something in the alien language, this time sounding as if he was doing so in rage rather than in pain, as he maintained pressure against his truncated wrist. Other hunters growled, hissed or clicked, probably in agreement with him, as Nightwing casually shook his own left arm until the creature's large, severed hand came loose and fell on the ground. But standing in the approximate middle of the group, the Predator leader raised his left arm, ordering everyone to be silent. It was a command that his followers quickly obeyed, though the injured guard's body language indicated that he was still very eager to attack the human who had wounded him.

"Bluffinnng!", the extra-terrestrial chief accused as he extended his right index finger towards Nightwing.

"Really!", the smaller crimefighter angrily countered, pointing the remote control towards the giant again, "You really think I'm gonna let you come in here, kill god fucking knows how many of my neighbors in the name of your bullshit sport, and _then_ you're gonna kill my teacher, and I'm simply gonna watch! Go ahead and try me, you ugly fuck!".

Nearby, both masked and unmasked Predators withdrew frisbee blades of their own, while other hunters adjusted their shoulder-held rocket launcher towards the dangerous human. That caused Nightwing to instinctively step backwards, even though he objectively knew there was nowhere to go. While that occurred, Batman staggered to a standing position and walked towards his comrade. Constantly clutching his damaged ribcage, he was careful to not trip in his weakened state, until he stood several feet away from the younger man.

"Batman and I are _both_ ready to die for each other, and I'm gonna speak for Harl and your own man here", Nightwing continued, the irate expression still on his face as he visually inspected all the hostile figures around him, "Tell your goons to step back, sasquatch. The first one of them who fires _anything_ at me, and my finger presses this button here".

"This can't be that difficult a decision for you", the caped crusader added, suddenly finding it impossible to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with his partner since his body was continually hunched forward in pain, "Unless every one of you is willing to die for the sake of your game tonight, I suggest you do as you're told".

The older man kept his left forearm gently pressed over his ribcage as he withdrew a batarang with his right hand, in an effort to even the odds that his former protégé was looking at. Not that two humans struggling against a horde of attacking hunters would've fare better than a single human trying to do the same impossible task, but it was important to support Nightwing in his efforts nonetheless.

The hunter chief's body pulsated with energy and ire, the giant barely keeping himself at bay, almost as if he was an overzealous animal who was placed inside a cage that was too small. But after giving a short cry of fury, the giant leader breathed heavily as he addressed his followers in his own language for a few moments. He swung his face from one extreme to the other so as to look at all his soldiers while he spoke.

Once he was finished talking, the leader slowly turned and marched towards the spot where his gold frisbee blade was still lodged in a wall, even though none of the other hunters moved. When he reached it, he wrenched the circular weapon out of the vertical stone, after which he turned back around to where the remaining beings remained in the alley.

It was at that instant that the hunters' spaceship became visible overhead, whose underside five circular lights that had illuminated the passageway. It caused an involuntary awe to escape Nightwing's facial expression at the sheer size of the craft, as it was almost as long as the alley itself, and many times wider than the passageway, and hovering in the air without noise. A metallic, zigzagging staircase that led to a currently-opening doorway on the ship's side was also seen, portraying the manner in which Joker had previously descended from above.

Still breathing heavily, the crimson-masked leader retained his grip on the rounded blade as he moved to the base of the staircase and stood next to it, before he threw a glance at his disciples. Reacting to his nonverbal sign, the Predator whose hand was cut off moved away from the confrontation in the alleyway first, pacing towards the ascending stairs before he began climbing up the steps. After that fighter, the other giants followed, going up the stairs in single file, and the three guards who had been keeping a hold of Harley and Red released their prisoners, soon joining the line of angrily retreating hunters.

The three humans and lone Predator remained in the lit alley as more extra-terrestrials moved past their leader, climbed up the steps and eventually disappeared through the spaceship's open door. It was only when the four individuals who remained on the ground saw the alien leader ascending the stairs also that Batman remembered to wipe the dripping blood off his mouth and chin. He was so engrossed in the scene above his head that he barely noticed Harley as she quickly wandered to his left side and placed two protective arms around his waistline, embracing him and trying to support his weight at the same time. Not that the young woman's presence made the task of remaining upright any easier, as it hurt his ribs even more. But the crimefighter suppressed the urge to moan in pain, and only placed his left around the shoulders of the Arkham counsellor.

Once the Predator chief was at the top of the steps and in front of the open doorway that led to the bright interior of his ship, he turned around. He stared down at the four beings who remained below, not counting Joker's body that was by the side of the alleyway. The giant growled in disappointment as the zigzagging stairs were automatically pulled within the underside of the floating spaceship, his masked gaze staring into the face of the rogue Predator below.

Standing at his full height down there, Red didn't move a muscle while his eyes were locked with his superior's, even when he saw that his leader's shoulder-fired cannon was adjusted so it pointed at him. The rogue hunter clenched his fists, but kept his arms by his side regardless, resisting the urge to withdraw his circular blade in response.

"Don't even think about it", Batman grimly warned while looking up at the creature in the crimson mask, curious as to why the rogue alien wasn't running for cover or threatening to strike back if attacked.

In emphasis of the caped crusader's threat, Nightwing widened his eyes and pointed the remote control he held up so it was more visible for the Predator chief. So after a few seconds of the silent standoff, the extra-terrestrial leader groaned in disappointment as his shoulder-used cannon pointed away from his target. The behemoth partially turned around, intent on going inside the hovering spacecraft via the open doorway. But first, he extended his right hand and pointed that index finger down at the soldier who was left behind within the alleyway.

The alien leader uttered an angry phrase in his own language, and said nothing afterwards as he then walked through the doorway. The door shut behind him, closing off the bright light of the ship's interior. It was only then that Nightwing exhaled loudly and lowered his arm by his side, deactivating the rectangular electronic device that was in his hand, even while his companions didn't move.

"I can't _believe_ that worked", the young man sighed as he looked up, seeing that the Predator's craft slowly rose further in the air before it flew off at a tremendous speed, all without making any noise, "Who says a car's harmless remote control is an unnecessary piece of luxury, huh, Bats?".

The grin on his face vanished when he turned his head to look at his mentor, only to see that Harley was trying to ease the older man into a seated position on the ground. Clearly, Batman was in no physical shape to celebrate.

"I'll get the first aid kit", Nightwing marched off towards the Batmobile while placing the vehicle's access device back within his uniform.

He frowned while passing Joker's corpse, surprised at the feeling of disappointment he was experiencing now that the psychotic criminal was dead. Shouldn't he be glad that one of his biggest enemies was dead?

Either way, he had more pressing matters to attend to, so the crimefighter grabbed the white box with the Red Cross symbol on its surface from the back of the car and jogged back to where his companions remained.

"What did he say to you?", Batman asked while he remained seated, his palms flat against the ground to keep him from collapsing altogether, as he looked up at the giant who was still standing at his full height nearby.

The hunter only clicked in response as the caped crusader's eyes remained on him. As he did, Harley was carefully examining the damaged state of his torso beneath the grey costume, before the young woman gave Nightwing a tired smile when he offered her the first aid kit.

"He said I am disssgraced", the Predator finally answered after a long pause, "I am bannnished from the Yaujta clllan forrrever".

The behemoth turned his face back towards the sky, silently watching the spot where the spaceship had disappeared from a few moments ago. He continued staring off into the moonlit clouds above, until he heard the humans shifting near him, which prompted him to finally turn back towards the other individuals there. The hunter saw that the oldest of the three humans was carefully standing back up to his full height, his left arm draped over the woman's shoulders, as his torso had been bandaged repeatedly, apparently by her. Off in the distance, the younger human male was still crouched over the corpse of the fourth Earth native who had been killed by one of Red's former comrades. But once the less experienced crimefighter noticed that his friends were moving, he stood up from the spot next to the carcass and proceeded towards the others.

"You have two broken ribs, three more that are bruised, as _far_ as I can tell", the blonde woman stated as Batman withdrew his arm from her and visually surveyed the dark alleyway they remained in, "Now, I can't _see_ any internal bleeding, sweetie, but do I _have_ to lecture you about the many reasons you should be getting checked out at Gotham General?".

"Not now", the caped crusader curtly countered, ignoring the pain that ravaged his body as he walked off and began gathering his grappling hook from where the gadget lay, working to pre-pressurize the device after picking it off the ground, "I don't have the time yet, not until I make sure that our visitors _and_ the monsters that they're hunting have left Gotham".

"You're planning on doing this solo, Bats?", Nightwing asked as he stopped next to the young woman, casually placing his hands in his side pockets as he spoke.

"Until we _both_ make sure", the instructor corrected himself as he turned towards his former apprentice, the grappling hook ready to be fired again for future use, "But what happened here tonight should be _proof_ that we're not ready for what's…".

Batman stopped talking when he noticed that the clicks and hisses which Red was emitting had suddenly gotten louder and faster, so he turned his attention towards where the Predator stood half a dozen steps away. Noticing the interruption in his statement, Nightwing and Harley followed his line of vision, and soon realized that the hunter was indeed distracted by something else that grabbed his attention.

But what was the behemoth looking at? All three humans looked towards the direction that he was staring, his muscular body becoming more tense with each passing moment. As far as each native from Earth could tell, there was nothing off in the distance except the darkness at the end of the alleyway.

It was Batman's eyes that caught sight of movement first, though the caped crusader didn't initially understand what it was he was looking at. But soon, what was clearly identified as the curved, smooth head of an adult Xenomorph exited out of the shadows at the end of this passageway. Coming closer towards them, the 8-foot tall, hunched-over monster hissed as its body became more visible due to it walking closer to the section of the alleyway that was lit by the moon.

The Arkham counsellor gasped when she initially saw the monster's body, and then gasped louder when the beast opened its jaw, exposing the smaller mouth that existed inside of it. She was the only one who didn't reach for a weapon, as Batman and Nightwing swiftly withdrew a razor-sharp batarang each, while the lone Predator pulled out his golden, circular blade. But that was as far as they got before new noise was heard overhead, which caused all four individuals to look up, and spotted five more Xenomorphs who climbed over the alley's walls from the far side. Three of those new aliens climbed down the vertical concrete, showing great dexterity in their ability to move against gravity. As they did, the other two beasts simply jumped down towards the ground from the top of the wall itself, thus joining the original aline who had made itself known to them.

"_Where_ did they all come from!", the younger human male thought out loud, disliking how quickly his side had gone from outnumbering the enemy to suddenly being outnumbered instead, as six Xenomorphs now approached their four targets from the passageway's dead end, though that left the entry to the alleyway clear behind the humans.

"Not important now", Batman quietly replied as he tapped Nightwing and Harley on the arm, indicating them to start walking backwards and away from the vicious animals, going towards where the Batmobile waited several yards behind them, "They may have been there all along. But regardless…".

"We norrrmally have Xenomorphs in ressstraints before releasssing them, and giving themmm a short time to becccome familiarized with the ennnvironment before they're hunnnted", Red explained as he remained standing in place, refusing to slowly retreat from the scene like the humans were, and instead opening an electronic compartment on his left forearm before pressing several buttons on it, "My clannn must have left them behinnnd when they flew off, and the xenomorrrphs naturally look for the nearrrest food source once frrree".

"Ugly, stupid _and_ sore losers", Nightwing dryly whispered back as he noticed that the hunter wasn't moving alongside them, Red ignoring the many hisses he received from the continually advancing reptilian beasts.

"To the Batmobile, all of you", Batman whispered next, slowly turning towards where the vehicle was parked, "And that includes you too, Red. This is no time to be a he…".

The caped crusader stopped talking when he noticed that two more adult Xenomorphs were behind them, a seventh monster sitting on top of the car itself, while an eighth was crouched down on all four limbs nearby. Both of them eagerly watching the humans for their reaction.

"Then again, doesn't look like we're getting a choice in the matter", the oldest human continued, making eye contact with his former second-in-command as the grim look on Nightwing's face reflected the gravity of the situation.

It was only then that Batman noticed the beeps that were steadily growing louder and faster, which originated from where their fellow Predator was still immobile on his feet. While Red kept the frisbee blade in his right grip, the hunter's right arm was relaxed by his side. The giant seemed to have no intention of using the weapon or retreating as the Xenomorphs came ever closer to him. Not knowing the meaning behind this new turn of events, the caped crusader turned his attention back to Harley, not in the mood to have her do anything other than follow his instructions to the letter.

"When the three of us engage them, I want you to turn around and run out of this alleyway", Batman quickly ordered, "Go as fast and as far as you can. Nightwing or I will contact you if we survive".

"But… bbbut…", was all Harley got to protest as her wide eyes were swinging from the two monsters who remained by the car, to Batman, and then to the six beasts who were on the other side of the alleyway.

Her words were cut short when Batman roughly grabbed a hold of her upper right arm via his left hand, keeping the batarang between his right fingers. Without saying anything else, the older man dragged her out of the passageway, intentionally keeping her back pressed against the wall and himself in front of her, until they reached the spot by the wall that was as far as the parked Batmobile. Once there, Batman kept his batarang aimed at the two Xenomorphs that were a mere five yards away from himself and the Arkham doctor, and quickly turned his face towards her, before he barked the word "Go!".

Fortunately for him, Harley inhaled and held her breath as her scared eyes took one last look at him. She then turned towards the beginning of the alleyway and darted towards the streetlights that waited beyond it. It only took her a few seconds to reach the start of the dark passageway, before she turned the corner past the base of the alley and disappeared around it, being back in the well-lit but deserted streets beyond. So she was safe for now, or at least as relatively safe as she could've been in a metropolitan city that had been overrun by two species of violent extra-terrestrials.

Thus, Batman kept his eyes on the two Xenomorphs who still hissed at him from near the Batmobile, and slowly proceeded to rejoin Nightwing and Red towards the end of the alley. Nearing his partner and the hunter as the three of them kept their back towards each other, they made a rough triangle in the way they stood and faced the looming beasts. In response, the two Xenomorphs left the Batmobile and angrily crept towards them as well. It was only then that the caped crusader withdrew a second batarang, even while his attention was diverted elsewhere.

"Red, what _is_ that?", Batman inquired, quickly looking down at the Predator's beeping forearm.

"Self-dessstruct mechanism", the hunter explained, his attention still on the original six animals who were now ten yards away.

"Isn't that the kind of thing you're supposed to be using _after_ you lose a battle?", Nightwing didn't look at either of his partners as he commented, "Doesn't make much sense to set it off now. Unless you already counted us out of this fight".

"He's right", Batman whispered as he kept his eyes on the other two Xenomorphs who were approaching them from the direction of the vehicle, "Just how much of a range does that device destroy, anyway?".

"Apprrroximately one and a half of your killlometers in each direccction", Red calmly informed him.

The answer was enough to have both humans momentarily look away from the alien beasts and back to each other.

"What're you, nuts! Shut that off!", Nightwing then loudly whispered towards the giant who was standing back-to-back with him.

"He's right, Red", Batman added with a more even tone of voice, "We can't afford to destroy that much area within Gotham. The loss of human life would be in the _tens_ of thousands. You need to shut your bomb off and not even activate it, even if we _do_ lose here".

The two crimefighters weren't sure, but it sounded like the Predator sighed in exasperation as he reached for the mechanism on his left forearm. But regardless, Red punched several keys on it via his right index finger, effectively stopping the countdown.

"Wadda you say, boss?", Nightwing asked, out loud this time, as he fully returned his attention towards the existing threat, "Is it time to rock?".

"Absolutely", was the only answer from Batman before the caped crusader threw the two batarangs that were in his hands.

Both weapons sailed through the air and found their mark on the two Xenomorphs who were nearing the humans from the direction of the Batmobile. Both aliens were struck in the head and silently collapsed dead on the ground as acid blood exited out of their respective wounds. Seeing the positive result, Batman withdrew the pre-pressurized grappling hook and turned his attention towards the six monsters that Nightwing and Red were facing. He did so in time to see that the younger human had tossed his own batarang while the hunter had flung the circular gold blade.

The hunter's projectile flew straight through the torso of a third Xenomorph, cleanly severing that creature's body into two, equal pieces that dropped on the ground, acid blood pooling underneath its two halves and eating away at the concrete there. Satisfied with the result, the Predator then leapt into the air as the frisbee blade returned to him. He gripped the rounded blade in his right hand, paying no attention to the thin film of acid that covered the weapon and was eroding the projectile, even while it burned the inside of his right palm.

The young human's weapon entered the throat of a fourth monster, stopping that beast's attack as it screeched in pain, its many limbs flailing, before it staggered towards Nightwing. Acid splattered in all directions as it approached its three antagonists, and its advance threatened to break up the cluster of three individuals who had made sure that none of their backs was exposed to an attack from behind. The nearly-dead monster was still bleeding from his wound and threatening to collapse on top of Nightwing. So the extra-terrestrial left formation and gripped that fourth monster by its waistline via his left hand. He prompted that foe to turn its attention against the masked hunter, and planning on delivering several different attacks via its limbs, its tail and its mouth. But Red reacted first by swinging the circular blade in his right hand and decapitating the monster.

Unfortunately for the Predator, a hiss from behind indicated that a fifth Xenomorph was within an arm's reach of the back of his head. And Red knew that he wouldn't be able to turn around before the eight-foot tall creature struck, which ultimately meant that breaking formation had been his fatal mistake. But the giant hunter dropped the corpse of the fourth alien and rushed to turn around anyway, the better to die when facing his opponent than to be struck from behind. He heard another, more urgent hiss, and the displacement of air which indicated that the Xenomorph was moving to bite him in the back of the neck, before Batman's pre-pressurized grappling hook was fired against that monster. That, in turn, caused the fifth alien to shriek as it was struck in the torso before the hook exited out of its back. The Xenomorph sailed through the air as a result of the hit before it was nailed to the end wall at the back of the alleyway because of it, thrashing like a fish out of water as it slowly died.

Without stopping to acknowledge the human who had saved his life, the lone Predator pointed his left arm towards the nearest remaining aliens. Nightwing saw a malleable, metallic net shooting out from an unseen compartment within Red's armor, and wrapping itself around the sixth Xenomorph. The net plastered that particular creature against the end wall of the passageway, only feet away from where the fifth monster had been pinned via Batman's grappling hook.

The hunter moved on, positioning himself back within the three-person triangle that had been in place earlier, and dropping the corroding circular disk by his feet before the set of twin blades were extracted past his left wrist. The extra-terrestrial screamed a challenging cry towards the two reptilian aliens who were left. Hearing the scream, the Xenomorphs stopped their onslaught because they weren't used to seeing their numbers being cut down so drastically, especially not when facing three opponents.

Out of the corner of his eye, Nightwing caught sight of the sixth Xenomorph who was apparently being strangled by the net which was continually constricting it against the wall. The young man suddenly felt better at the fact that the battle had quickly become more fair, but he still saw challenges ahead. While the masked crimefighter could tell that the net was effectively crushing the creature, it was also clear that the monster's acid blood was seeping through the net's material, causing it to be eroded, and the net was about to snap. Not wanting to give the sixth beast a new chance at life, Nightwing withdrew another batarang and threw it towards that target. The tip of the projectile stabbed through the net and then through the Xenomorph's torso, causing it to screech more as it bled further. A few seconds later, the net collapsed from the acid that was splashed over it, as predicted. But by the time that happened, the sixth alien flopped on the ground, already bleeding to death from the batarang which was inside it.

"Hey, _I'm_ impressed", the younger human grinned as he caught his breath, liking their chances of leaving his alley alive, "So, I'll take one and you and Red take the other, Bats?".

"This is no time to be cocky", the older man cautioned him, "I can just imagine what damage one of those animals can do with a single bite or swipe of their claws".

"OK, OK, gotcha", the less experienced fighter agreed, "So _what's_ our plan, exactly?".

The Predator answered on their behalf as he screamed in fury and rushed away from the small group, targeting the seventh Xenomorph. Red stabbed his left arm's twin blades through that particular creature's abdomen. He then pinned the alien underneath himself against the ground as the monster screeched in pain and anger, lashing out against its attacker. But the hunter kept his left blades in the beast's torso and then begun pummelling its head and neck with punches via his right fist. Red ignored the droplets of acid that spilled over his mask, body armor and bare arms, concentrating only on repeating the massive blows he delivered towards the Xenomorph's weak spots. The result was that he ravaged the monster's head and permanently silenced its cries after several seconds.

The eighth Xenomorph there barrelled towards Red while the latter was still working on destroying the seventh monster, looking to deliver a crucial blow against the distracted Predator. But the Xenomorph then hissed in surprise when it caught sight of Batman delivering a flying kick aimed at its torso, which knocked the creature down. It then smoothly jumped rightside-up on its four limbs. But as it turned its attention towards the masked human, the reptilian creature then spotted the second, younger human who rushed towards it with the previous man's cape in his hands. Nightwing reached the final alien and effectively wrapped Batman's unused cape around the Xenomorph's head, blinding the monster before its draped head was grabbed and slammed against the ground.

With the cape secured around its head, the last alien kept seeing black as it was continually kicked in the face and torso, hearing one of the humans cheering loudly as the attacks persisted.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	5. Chapter 5

+2 minutes later+

Harley Quinn had bolted out of the alleyway, as instructed. She then ran around the corner after having reached the well-lit street beyond the dark, cramped and dirty passageway after almost having watched her lover die twice. Once there, she had instinctively turned around, part of her wishing to return to the scene where three fighters were about to engage eight monsters in what seemed to be a hopeless battle. The other part of her wanted to wait, hoping that the two humans and the lone hunter who allied with them could survive the confrontation through some miracle. At least she could hope, even while the prospect of returning to the middle of what was sure to a bloodbath against these giant, black-skinned, double-jawed monsters was enough to freeze her where she stood. Because despite whatever diagnosed, and undiagnosed, insanity had been plaguing Harley or her accomplices in the past, there was no doubt as to who was more brutal at the end of the day. After all, an insane human who sometimes carried weapons was almost sure to fall short when confronting a vicious creature who was twice her size.

While the young woman was at the end of the dark alley, she had wondered why Batman, Nightwing or Red weren't dashing after her. There was no way to prove that the eight aliens would've successfully picked the three fighters off from behind if they had bolted out of the alley as she did.

But another thought had then entered the Arkham doctor's mind. Hadn't Batman ordered her to put as much distance between herself and the eight beasts as possible, in case those monsters got past their three challengers? So what was she to do? She could've either remained at the end of the passageway, watching the ensuing carnage, or she could've continued running as she had been instructed.

If she had decided on the former, she would've most likely watched the three resistors die in battle. She would've then rushed back to the scene in a blind rage, before being cut down by the monsters who had killed three fighters who were stronger than her. Of course, there was the small chance that Batman and his two companions would emerge victorious. Then, the caped crusader would've reproached her for not following his directions and staying so close that the eight Xenomorphs may have turned on her after defeating the two men and the Predator.

On the other hand, if she had decided on the latter and ran further, then Batman would've contacted her on her cellphone if his outnumbered side won the clash against the monsters. And if Batman and his friends had lost, then she would've found out of the result before the sun rose regardless of whether she was just outside of the alley or a few blocks away from it. But at least then, the aliens wouldn't have targeted her next, which was clearly what Batman wanted. So if this had been the last time she saw him alive, could she refuse his final wish by putting herself in harm's way?

Thus, hoping she wasn't making a mistake, Harley picked the second option and resumed running away from the scene. Her eyes were full of tears again, and it was annoying her very much, even as a voice in her mind stated that it was for such reasons the caped crusader never wished to have her accompany him while he was on patrol. She had finally stopped sprinting after a short time, having reached an intersection that was about three city blocks away from the alleyway where she had witnessed the existence of two different alien life forms. It occurred to her that she should've seen some people passing her by, even this late at night. Those could've been vagrants, drunks leaving a bar, Police patrols, or any other people that she would've thought of if her mind wasn't currently clouded with grief and hysteria. But she hadn't seen a single person along the way, and at the moment, she didn't care why as she stopped running and clumsily landed in a seated position on the edge of a sidewalk. She then looked up to see that she was just beneath a streetlamp which was flooding the area around her in ugly, orange light.

"Oh, puddin'!", the blonde doctor lamented as she remained seated, the bottom of her feet placed on the asphalt road as her legs bent, her torso leaning forward and her elbows resting on her knees.

Physically, she was almost comfortable, but her mental state was another issue altogether.

She roughly dried her tears, mentally chastising herself because her voice had a lower frequency when she spoke those two words. It was the most irritating tone she used to speak with back in the days when she was dressed in a facemask and following the Joker around like a lovesick puppy. And it was a well-known fact of psychology that stress brought out aggressive or other generally destructive behaviour. So the blonde woman had to breathe hard as she did her best to compose herself, starting with getting her voice back to the tone she wanted it to be.

"Pull yourself together there, Harley, dear", she thought out loud as she reached within the red outfit and withdrew a small, foldable cellphone.

She sighed when she opened the miniature gadget that utilised a secure line of communication, only receiving a confirmation of what she already knew, which was that Batman had not called her. So there was nothing to do but to close the phone back up, and keep hoping that it'd ring soon.

Despite being physically comfortable here, the young woman looked around the deserted street as she kept the cellphone in her right hand. It was a problem to be in the middle of such a wide road, especially when she suddenly had non-human attackers to worry about. Harley knew she could hold her own most regular opponents, especially from her experience of physically resisting against a countless number of Police officers, Court staff, or Prison guards. Not that she was proud of any of the black eyes, split lips or even bruised ribs she had inflicted on others in the past. In fact, she was downright ashamed of it. But at least it went a long way to ensuring her that she'd rarely be on the receiving end of a beating if a larger person, whether it be a man or a woman, decided to physically strike her. However, that was regarding a human attacker. So how was she supposed to deal with either the intelligent, two-legged hunters who were prowling the city, or the animalistic, four-legged aliens who seemed to want to eat anything that moved?

Wishing to no longer be exposed to an assault from behind, the blonde groaned as she stood back up. Visually surveying her surroundings, she was still disappointed to not see any other movement around this city street other than herself. So she proceeded towards the beginning of the nearest alleyway she could see, wishing to at least be in an environment that was not as wide open as the current road, and one where she could keep her back to a wall.

Once having entered the mouth of that passageway, Harley only moved inward for about five feet. Not surprisingly, she wasn't wishing to go further into this dark alley, especially with the memories of the two species of extra-terrestrials who had been so fond of populating the previous alleyway several blocks away. So keeping close to the light from the nearest lamppost, she squatted on the ground and kept her back to one of the alley walls. It was only then that she hugged herself tight around her ribcage as she leaned her upper body forward, the folded cellphone still gripped in her right fingers and constantly wondering why neither crimefighter from the Batcave was calling her.

Just to be absolutely sure, she let go of her torso and unfolded the mobile again, holding her breath, and exhaled in disappointment again when no one had tried to contact her via it. So rubbing her eyes with her left fingers to offset any new tears that may be threatening to appear, she closed the cellphone and placed it back within her clothes with the other hand.

The young woman was starting to consider the option of simply returning to the spot where she had left the trio as they were about to fight for their lives, guessing that it'd be better to see the result of the carnage, rather than sitting here like a frightened mouse. Besides, if any of the three combatants were wounded and still alive, she may even be able to administer first aid. But what about Batman's wishes that she stay away from the scene of the confrontation?

She was still wondering about her options when the corner of her eye caught movement from the deeper end of the alleyway. So Harley instinctively turned her face in that direction, wondering if she had seen a homeless cat or dog. Instead, the young doctor's eyes widened with morbid curiosity. It was because she caught sight of a multi-legged creature that was approximately twelve inches long, but which carried a much larger tail behind its main body, and was the same color as her skin. It was the last image she got to glimpse before the living thing that she had never seen before scuttled on the ground towards her, racing much faster than she would've thought a creature its size could travel.

"What the h…?", were her final words as she instinctively raised a bent arm in front of her head, but the bizarre creature leapt through the air when it was several feet away from her, jumping in a direct course for her shocked face.

The bottom of the small beast's body slammed into the front of her head, gluing itself to her eyes, nose and mouth via the steel grip it maintained on the sides of her skull via its many legs. But Harley never knew that as she was instantly knocked unconscious and collapsed on her side from the seated position before being able to stand up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

+1 hour later+

The blonde Arkham doctor groggily opened her eyes, momentarily wondering where she was as she found herself awkwardly lying on her back and looking up towards the night sky. She instinctively tried to sit up, her sore body protesting the movement as she cleared her mouth, wondering why there was such an awful taste there. And once she was back on a seated position and realized that she had been lying at the start of a dirty alleyway ground, she suddenly recalled the strange attack that she had been subjected to. So the young woman gasped as she spun around while still seated on the concrete, speculating as to the whereabouts of the weird animal which had jumped towards her face.

It didn't take her long to spot the creature, as it was lying on its back, its many legs curled inward, much like a dead spider.

Harley painfully rose to her feet, wincing in disgust and anxiety as she slowly reached for the creature with her right foot. She nudged it quickly, and then withdrew her right leg, relaxing a bit when the animal showed no response, indicating to her that it was truly deceased.

But how long had she been unconscious? And why did her mouth feel so dry and sickened, as if she had woken up with a sore throat, except that it wasn't quite that specific sensation of being unwell.

It occurred to her to check her cellphone, both to see if Batman had tried to call her, and to find out what time it was just now. So the young woman reached within her clothes, sending her right hand into the pocket where the device was located, and stopped when she finally noticed that she wasn't alone.

Turning her head to the side, Harley caught sight of a man who was standing at the beginning of the alley, staring at her from an arm's reach away. The approximately 30-year old male was dressed in a haphazard fashion, but with clothes that were relatively clean, especially when compared to her red outfit, the majority of which was covered in dirt or rainwater.

"Uh… Hi?", the psychologist gave a nervous smile as she withdrew her right hand out of the pocket, feeling wary as the man didn't answer, nor did he change the stern look on his face after being greeted.

She instinctively curled her right hand into a fist as her left hand straightened in a rigid fashion, all in response to her believing that she had just come across someone who was hostile.

"Uh, look, I don't know _what_ happened here, but…", she began talking as she kept her eyes locked with his, even as he moved aside and made room for others who were behind him.

"Well, well, look who it is", the leading man interrupted with a grin as he moved towards her, allowing two other men to follow him, "I _told_ you it was the Joker's whore, guys".

"Yeah, wonderful", Harley commented sarcastically as she walked backwards, moving deeper into the dark alleyway as her three antagonists closed in.

They were wisely lining up shoulder-to-shoulder so as to occupy the majority of the width of this passageway, and thus not giving her any space to dart past them without being physically confronted by one of the three. And from what she could tell, the first individual she had seen, who was the smallest of the three, appeared to be their leader. But regarding his size, he still outweighed her by at least fifty pounds, while matching her own height.

How ironic that she was lamenting the fact that she couldn't see any other human beings a short time ago, and now that she was past that isolation, it was currently her biggest problem.

"See, _this_ trollop here ditched the clown and started sleeping her way to the top", the leader of the small gang kept grinning as the trio continued their advance, each step forcing her to retreat further into the darker end of the alley, "_Then_, she found the ultimate sugardaddy. One hell of a catch, too, living in Wayne Manor and all".

A rushed attempt of coming up with ideas wasn't productive as she carried on walking backwards, moving past heaps of trash in the process, some within round, metal bins, and other pieces of garbage simply laying on the ground. Frustration only grew as her efforts of creating a plan of escape were in vain and she was only able to delay the inevitable confrontation with these three goons.

And once she reached the end of the alley, then what?

She had no weapon on her person, nor any of the equipment she used to carry that helped her climb walls back in the old days when she regularly broke into businesses or shops along with the Joker. And while she was in the process of remembering things that could come in useful at this time, the young woman also recalled that she had gotten into numerous fights with groups of men during her criminal days, some of which left her severely bruised and battered. Oddly, the thought of having bones broken, or even the risk of being beaten to death, just hadn't scared her back then. Not like it was doing so now.

Harley supposed that insanity did have advantages after all. But too bad she was completely lucid now, able to dread what was about to take place once the inescapable altercation took place in a few seconds. The passageway that she was walking backwards into could only be so long, after all.

Would it help if she threatened them?

Harley shook her head. Whatever members of the population paid her some grudging respect because of their fear of the Joker had stopped doing so after her last parole. And menacing someone as she was now just wouldn't be convincing, not when her voice would most likely shake when she described what she'd do to anyone who crossed her.

There was always the option of substituting Joker's name with Batman, claiming that the caped crusader would avenge whatever harm was caused to her now the same way that the insane clown used to do in the past. But then again, most people didn't know Batman's true identity, and the crimefighter preferred it that way, assuming he was still alive, while many people knew that she and Bruce Wayne were a couple. So if Batman happened to still be living, the damage she could do to his double identity would be irreparable if she said the wrong thing.

More movement spotted, dozens of yards behind the three men, back at the beginning of the alleyway. Harley threw a glance in that direction, wondering if this fifth person on the scene was going to be a friend or foe.

She heard herself gasping in further panic when she understood what she was looking at. The new being who had silently entered the beginning of the darkening passageway and was now proceeding towards her location wasn't a person at all, but a Xenomorph. That was quite obvious, as the creature was comfortably walking on the right side wall of the alley instead of moving on the ground, and the dwindling light from the street behind it shone off its large tail, torso, legs and curved head.

So the one variable that could've made this situation worse had happened. And to make it even more dire, the blonde was the only person out of the four people who saw the monster approaching them in the same way that a cat would move towards a group of birds. Even now, the three men still had their backs turned to the beast and their attention fully focused on her.

"Oh Jesus! This can't be happening!", the young woman moaned and temporarily looked down at her feet, anxiously holding her forehead with the right hand, before she looked back up at her three human antagonists.

From their point of view, the three men had stopped closing in, probably because they could sense that the end of the alleyway was only a few more yards behind her. The group of assailants must've been ready for her attempt to evade them, the members looking forward to their chance to overpower her as quickly as possible.

"Look, you can believe whatever the hell you want about me", she locked angry eyes with each of the people there as she spoke, one after the other, "But the four of us need to leave _now_! There's a monster behind you!".

Her voice suddenly lost the fear that had gripped it since she had woken up, probably because she needed to be more forceful now. Even the thought of being kidnapped and having to be at the mercy of goons wasn't as scary as facing one of the extra-terrestrial creatures. And if she didn't convince the others that they needed to try to evade the alien's attack, then she wasn't going to have anything else to worry about ever again once the beast got its claws into them.

Acting via instinct rather than rational thought, she extended her right arm and pointed past the others with that index finger. She eagerly aimed that digit towards the behemoth which had crawled halfway towards them by now, ever so silently so as to not make a single sound. Unfortunately, none of the men reacted the way she wanted them to, as not a single one of them turned around to confirm or deny what she claimed. A detached part of herself mentioned that their reaction shouldn't have been a surprise.

She just wished she had another idea. Too bad she didn't.

"Do you really think we're stupid enough to fall for the oldest trick in the book?", the last man at the scene, the tallest of the three, chuckled.

"Doesn't matter how stupid she thinks us _commoners_ are", the group's leader took another step towards her, a more annoyed look on his face and his arms ready for what little resistance he expected her to be able to put up, "Wayne will definitely pay a high ransom for his plaything's return. She's _gotta_ be valuable to him before he drops her because she's entered her thirties and is too old for him to wanna bang her".

Harley opened her mouth to verbally counter the many points that he was mistaken on. But she then closed it without uttering a word, reasoning that nothing she said was going to convince them to change their chosen course of action. It was all she had time to do as the leader of the three men grunted and dove for her anyway, intending to pin her down against the ground so as to make it easier to carry her out of the alley.

The blonde inhaled as she reached for the nearest round trash receptacle, and exhaled while she gripped the side of the metal container and then hurled it in his path. The mostly-full container slammed into her attacker's legs, causing him to trip forward as he swore and then crashed on top of the receptacle itself.

The largest of the three was upon her next, and she twisted counter-clockwise while imagining that she was trying to kick a football as hard as possible. The top of her foot impacted against that man's groin. As desired, the attack caused his eyes and cheeks to bulge from the sudden pain before he crumbled on the ground and wheezed uncontrollably while in the foetal position.

While that occurred, the last man standing delivered a powerful punch aimed at her mouth, the blow sending her head snapping to the side as she staggered towards the wall and then bounced off it. The young woman crashed on her back, her spine painfully meeting the ground below as she groggily opened her eyes with a groan. Her distorted vision saw her assailant as he remained standing over her, while his two friends were recovering behind him.

"Get up, bitch!", the same man barked as he kicked her in the side of the stomach, causing a scream to escape out of her mouth as she felt one of his boots coming into contact with her waistline.

The doctor bit her tongue to stop from crying out further, intentionally turning her head to keep looking up at her vertical attackers. She wasn't going to be finished like this, not when she knew how to take down an opponent who was on his feet while she was on the ground. And after she carried out her counter-attack, the impossible task of taking on two further adversaries who were still prepared for a fight would be addressed later. So Harley began climbing back up to a partially seated position, her attention always on the nearest man who she was going to strike first. This was even as she whispered Bruce's first name to herself, wishing more than anything that either Wayne or his alter ego could be here for support.

That wasn't the case, of course, so she grunted, angrily ignoring the pain in her face and stomach as she placed her palms against the wet ground and pulled her torso upwards in that manner. She had to visualize herself carrying out the plan against her attacker. Of course, she had no idea how she was going to deal with his two accomplices, who would undoubtedly be converging on her once she hit their friend. And while she was at it, there was still the Xenomorph to consider, as the monster was only a few yards away from all of them now.

But one problem at a time, the blonde thought to herself. That was the only way to accomplish complicated tasks, and it was also the only way she had a chance of leaving this alley alive and returning to see what fate awaited the others a few blocks away. Assuming that her odds of actually surviving this ordeal were more than zero, that is.

The blonde was about to carry out an impromptu counter-attack when her eyes widened at the sight of the Xenomorph leaping off the wall and landing gracefully on the ground behind the three men. The beast dashed towards them on its hind legs until it gripped her attacker's upper arms from behind, effectively pinning that man's limbs by his side. Before any of the humans had time to react, the beast pulled the man's arms apart as far as possible. A sharp crack followed as the man's two arms were torn out of their sockets, leaving bloody stumps at the shoulders, and it was only then that the alien's victim screamed out in pain.

That led to a cacophony of everyone else on the scene yelling also, even as Harley staggered back to her feet, not as grateful for the distraction as she would've felt if it had come from anyone or anything else.

The Xenomorph let his first victim drop on the ground, the man still quivering aimlessly in shock as he quickly bled to death. Turning its attention towards the other humans there, the monster swung its tail at the gang leader, hitting that man with its long body part and sending him crashing against the left side wall of the alley. As that person then sank to the ground with a moan, the creature leapt at the third and tallest man. It gripped the terrified person with its right front limb and easily carried him while travelling up the right side wall with its live cargo.

"Ricky! RICKYYY!", that third human screamed, holding his arms out towards the group leader who still remained partially crumbled below him on the ground on the other end of the narrow passageway.

It was all he got to yell before the monster bit him in the neck, sending blood gushing out of the wound as slime dripped out of its mouth, the two substances mixing before the beast released its prey. The monster then let the corpse drop to the ground as the third man kept fidgeting on top of the widening pool of red that spread beneath his throat.

Seeing that its second victim was dead, the Xenomorph leapt horizontally from the right side wall to the parallel one on the left side of the alley. Its lower two limbs gripped that left vertical concrete with the efficiency of a fly, allowing it to walk on that wall with the same ease that most animals walk on the ground. From that position, the alien reached down to where the first man remained, though the gang leader had sat back up while instinctively placing his arms behind him, palms against the ground so as to support his upper body.

In another time and place, he may have possessed enough good judgement to stand up and bolt towards the alleyway entrance. But in his panicked state of mind, being just out of arm's reach of two friends who had been killed before his eyes, all the man managed to do was to repeatedly shake his head from side to side as he saw the monster reaching for him.

"This can't be happening! This CAN'T be happening!", he exclaimed as he felt the forward-leaning creature gripping his ankles with its arms as its lower two limbs remained fastened to the wall itself.

He screamed incoherently as the Xenomorph pulled him up towards itself, having been turned upside-down in the process as he could see himself heading leg-first towards a monster that he couldn't believe existed.

"OH GOD NO! PLEASE DON'T!" , he yelled out again as it hissed, showing off dozens of teeth, and what appeared to be a smaller mouth inside the main jaw.

Then, he felt his body become more tense as he stopped being dragged upwards while upside-down and in the direction of what would've surely been his own death. It took him an instant to realize that the reason for his new condition was because another source suddenly had a grip on his upper body, keeping the monster from pulling him higher off the ground. Looking up from his point of view, the man spotted the blonde woman as she had grasped both his hands within hers, and was now determined to play a deadly game of tug-of-war with the alien.

The monster pulled up harder, which led to Harley clenching her teeth as she angrily yanked the man back in her direction, using gravity to her advantage. The Xenomorph tugged at his ankles again, with more force this time as he could feel its steel grip placing pressure against his bones. That led him to scream again as he felt his arms being pulled back towards the ground via the other human. And it was at that time that Harley's cellphone rang from within her pocket, sounding several times as the psychiatrist kept grunting due to the physical strain she was competing with as she was unable to answer it.

"Don't let go! Please don't let go!", the gang leader pleaded as he kept maintaining eye contact with Harley, fear registered on his face as she didn't verbally respond, straining her own figure to release the beast's hold on his lower body, "Oh god, this can't be happeni…".

The creature on the wall hissed again and yanked its end of the person one last time, having placed enough strength behind its pull so Harley yelled as the man's hands slipped out of her fingers. She staggered backwards, unprepared for the sudden lack of pressure that was there, and landed hard on her rear end. From her seated position on the ground, she could only look up as her previous attacker cried out before it was brought to where the alien eagerly waited. The beast quickly stopped his yells as it seemed to be trying to bite his upper back, and the creature's smaller mouth entered his body there and exited out of his chest, effectively impaling him while he was held in mid-air.

The third man now dead, the Xenomorph let the carcass fall back towards the ground, having lost interest in it the same way that a child may treat a broken toy. It then crawled down from that left side wall, using its four limbs to reach the ground and then walk upright on its hind legs as it slowly approached the spot where Harley was still seated.

The young woman twitched as she forced herself to stand back up, realizing that the beast had killed three adult males in the span of barely ten seconds. And no matter how this particular confrontation ended, she wasn't going to remain on the ground, panicking and doing nothing else as the monster closed in. She knew she couldn't outrun the beast if it decided to give chase, not when she had previously seen it easily jumping from one parallel wall to another, so she had to make her stand now.

Harley moaned as she picked up a closed, metal trashbin, noting that the container was only half full. She strained to keep it in front of her chest, ready to throw it at this inhuman assailant and hopefully planning to use it as a distraction for further attacks from her when it was struck by it. From a handful of steps away, the vertical Xenomorph still moved closer to the doctor, its attention constantly on her, but refusing to rush at her like it had against its other three victims.

It was only when it came to within a yard of her and still didn't act aggressively that the young woman became suspicious.

Why wasn't this alien attacking?

Lowering its large, curved head to within inches of her face, the alien only hissed once more, this time not as loudly as usual. It then spun around and dashed away, quickly climbing over the right side wall of the alley and disappearing over the top, and leaving Harley alone with the corpses of three people who had tried to harm her.

The Arkham doctor's mind still hadn't registered what she witnessed, as her eyes were focused on the area where the beast was standing a few seconds ago, until she finally dropped the metal trash container in front of her.

She then turned around, quietly surveying the three corpses which were around her, wondering what had just happened, and not being able to come up with an explanation. Hadn't the rogue Predator mentioned that these Xenomorphs were extremely vicious?

Not surprisingly, none of the three men who had accosted her earlier were still alive, and thus beyond any aid she could administer. That allowed her to actually catch her breath as she wiped the sweat off her forehead with the right sleeve.

It was then that she remembered her cellphone, and the fact that it had rung a short time ago when she was playing tug-of-war with the beast. Of course, it had stopped ringing after a few seconds, and was quiet now. So she reached within her clothes and withdrew the gadget, opening it to see who had tried to call her.

She smiled without realizing it when she noticed that she had missed 36 attempted phone calls, and every one of them was from Batman himself.

Harley pressed a single button on the phone to automatically dial the number she wished, and then placed the mechanism against her ear as she began breathing heavily, the reality of the night's events weighing heavily on her mind. She counted three rings, and then held her breath, wondering why no one on the other end was picking up. She also suddenly felt the dire condition her clothes were in, the dirty and wet fabric sticking to her body from the neck down to the ankles. And now that the immediate danger was over, the rancid feeling in her mouth had returned.

She exhaled happily when she heard Batman's voice responding by asking her first name after the fourth ring.

So things were starting to go right after all.

"Where _are_ you?", she heard the caped crusader curtly asking as she began walking out of the dark alleyway, the urgency in Batman's voice masking the concern she was sure he felt.

"Not a hundred percent sure, puddin', lemme check", Harley replied as she kept approaching the source of illumination that was provided by the streetlights past the beginning of the passageway, "Are you three OK?".

"Yes, all the aliens were dealt with", the older man quickly went on, "What about _you_?".

"Shaken up, nothing worse, sweetie", the blonde admitted as she rejoined the well-lit road and stood still as she began looking for the nearest streetsign, "Uh, let's seeee... 2300 MLK Boulevard. I'm not too far from you, puddin'. Would you like me to come meet y...".

"No!", Batman interrupted, "We've been looking for you for the better part of an hour, Harley. We'll be there in two minutes. Until then, _don't move_".

"Uh, OK", the blonde uttered, looking down one end of the long street, and then the other, still feeling uneasy that the entire roadway was deserted, "Don't be late, OK?".

"We won't be. Batman out", the older man on the other end hung up, leaving her alone once again in the night atmosphere, though hopefully not for long.

Folding the cellphone and placing it back within her pocket, Harley remained on edge as she began pacing the sidewalk that was near the mouth of the alley that she had exited. She soon stopped walking back and forth and stood still as she kept staring at the body of the miniature creature who had jumped at her face earlier. It remained dead a short distance into the beginning of the dark passageway.

"Why is it you're giving me the creeps even _after_ you've kicked the bucket?", she thought out loud, looking at the animal's remains, and failing to stop herself from shivering at the sight.

Then again, maybe it wasn't the presence of the small animal's body that was causing her stress, but the knowledge of what remained dozens of yards further into the alley. The thought of the three mangled bodies that were still at the end of the passageway was enough to sadden and scare her at the same time.

Of course, those corpses couldn't be seen from where she was now, as the shadows that enveloped them in darkness made them invisible to anyone who was simply passing by on the sidewalk. But they were there nonetheless, remaining silent and motionless, not bothering anyone who chose to ignore them.

The notion that she might've been able to do more for those three men caused her to hug her own torso, as she hadn't wished to see them being destroyed like that, even if they had tried to cause her harm beforehand.

"An entire metropolis with _millions_ of people inhabiting it, and not a single one of them is out tonight!", she raised her voice, almost reaching the tone of a scream as she stared down the orange-lit sidewalk, before calming down so she continued talking in a whisper, "I don't care if it _is_ two in the morning".

The response to her indignant comment was the sound of an engine that was getting louder, approaching her location at a fairly fast rate from behind. So the young doctor spun around, a smile appearing on his face as she felt that a weight had been lifted off her shoulders due to the sight of the approaching Batmobile. She slowly walked up to the curb, patiently waiting as the vehicle parked several inches away from her spot before coming to a full rest and the engine was switched off. The top compartment smoothly slid forward, allowing her to finally see inside the car, and she sighed contently when she noticed that both humans who were seated within were unhurt.

The first variable that caught Harley's attention as Batman unbuckled his seat belt and almost leapt out of the driver's seat and towards her was that the older man's cape was missing. That definitely made the crimefighter appear different. But she had to admit that, as he stood on the sidewalk in his own turn, locking eyes with the younger woman, he didn't seem any smaller or less imposing than he did with the black cape flowing all around him.

"Are you _sure_ you're unhurt?", Batman asked first, his body language betraying the debate in his mind where one aspect of himself wished to embrace her while the other insisted on maintaining a professional demeanor while on patrol.

Harley snickered at the thought that she still had work to do before successfully frenchkissing him when he was in the suit.

But ideas like that were obviously for another time, so she cleared her mind of that plan before responding.

"Just fine, sweetie", she threw a glance away from him and towards his companions, "Was more worried about you than anything el...".

She stopped talking when she saw the state that Nightwing was in while the young man was climbing out of the backseat to join his partner, the extra-terrestrial hunter following the two humans from the front passenger seat last. The younger crimefighter definitely looked different as the top half of his uniform was missing, having been completely removed, and he was only wearing the kevlar vest over his torso which was usually beneath the outfit.

In his own turn, Nightwing only sighed when he noticed her staring at his bare arms, in addition to the fact that the kevlar armor which was wrapped around his chest also seemed nearly mangled.

"Long story", he explained while brushing the topic aside with a wave of his right hand, "Bugs bleed acid through and through. _Very_ annoying".

"Ah, right", she went on, "Well, just glad you three are still standing. But listen, guys. I have some info that you'll be able to use _against_ these aliens".

"Which is?", Batman verbally prodded as she had the attention of everyone else there.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure why, but I don't think these aliens attack women", she suddenly felt uneasy about giving out the information due to the memory of how she came across it, so she swallowed a lump in her throat before continuing, "For whatever reason, they're only attacking men. That explains why they left me alone when I ran out of the alley. I thought it was because you distracted them, sweetie, but I'm thinking it was more than that. One of them left me alone just a few minutes ago".

"How exactly do you _know_ this, Harley? It left you alone _where_?", the older crimefighter inquired while crossing his arms in front of his chest, which was the one question she did not want to hear.

She breathed in and out, and opened her mouth to start answering, when Red suddenly shoved himself in between her and Batman, the 7-foot tall hunter clicking angrily as he stared down at her from only inches away. While he did, his back remained turned to the human male.

Her nervousness was gone, suddenly replaced with a feeling of being intimidated at the sight of the creature who was literally twice her size, and who inspected her from behind his metal mask. Harley's eyes widened as she whimpered and instinctively raised her left forearm in front of her face, keeping it parallel to the ground. And it was only a moment later that the Predator growled to himself as the two blades extended past his left wrist, the knives half-melted, but still appearing very lethal if he used them.

Red withdrew his left arm, ready to attack her with those weapons, when Batman grabbed the larger creature from the back of both the hunter's shoulders and pulled the giant as far from the terrified woman as could be managed. With the Predator standing a few feet away from Harley, though still irritably contracting his arms in anticipation of battle, the older crimefighter quickly placed himself between the extra-terrestrial and the blonde doctor. Batman's livid eyes remained locked with the slits in Red's visor the whole time. But he didn't have the chance to say anything because Nightwing gently wrapped his own right arm around the hunter's stomach, the better to ensure that the two fighters in front of him didn't do battle.

"Red? What's wrong, man?", the young man asked, genuinely curious at the sight of his two allies suddenly growling at each other, with Harley's welfare hanging in the balance.

"She'sss infffected!", the tall hunter grudgingly explained, not taking his eyes off the scared woman who was still kept hidden behind Batman's frame, "Xenomorrrphs never discrimmminate with regards to gennnder! My scan connnfirmed it. I can see the egg emmmbedded in her lunnng".

"What are you _talking_ about!", Batman countered as Harley impulsively clutched the top of her torso with a left hand, dreading that the extra-terrestrial's words were actually true.

"An egg-hatcher hasss placed an embryo within her", Red explained further, having partly calmed down, to the point where he didn't seem ready to charge past Batman in his attempt to reach Harley, "The Xenomorph spawn will burssst out of her chest soon. She will die without quessstion. We need to kill her now and destrrroy the egg before that happens".

"Oh, god!", the counsellor started backing away from her protector without realizing it, and slowly shook her head as she covered her mouth with both palms, "I'm sorry, sweetie. I'm _so_ sorry!".

"Harley?", Batman partially turned his head around to her, still without taking his attention off the Predator in front of him.

"It was that thing!", the young woman then pointed into the beginning of the alleyway, where the small dead creature remained, and began speaking faster, "It jumped on my face and I was passed out then it was dead then these guys came by and this alien killed them all and I tried to save them I really did sweetie but it killed them all anyway and it just walked away from me and I didn't know what to make of it!".

"It would be morrre merciful to exterminnnate her now!", Red became agitated again as he withdrew the circular blade with his right hand, "Your only option is to do it orrr watch her die a morrre painful death later, and thennn have to deal with the xenomorrrph that was inside! No beinnng who is infecttted ever survives!".

"Put that down!", Batman barked back, pointing his left index finger at the hunter while his right hand withdrew his own circular blade that was wing-shaped, "I don't care _who_ you are, you're not harming her! Unless you want a rematch from earlier tonight!".

The Predator only hissed back, his body barely restrained after easily shoving past Nightwing's light restraint so he could use the two weapons he held.

"You owe me for sparing your life, do you not?", the older crimefighter went on, and understood that the answer was an affirmative one when Red did not reply, "In that case, I'm demanding payment _now_".

The extra-terrestrial hunter hissed again amid a wail of clicks, before his body relaxed for the second time. He finally replaced the worn-out frisbee blade in its original compartment by his waistline and the twin blades retracted backwards over his left wrist.

Glad for the reaction, Batman kept his own weapon in his right grip as he glanced behind him once more, to where Harley remained standing about half a dozen steps away, and then turned his attention back ahead of himself.

"Nightwing", the older man nodded towards the alleyway once.

"On it", his partner answered while leaving the Predator and proceeding towards the Batmobile.

From within the vehicle, the young man withdrew the largest evidence bag he could find and then marched towards the beginning of the dark passageway. There, he first checked that the creature was truly dead, and then placed the corpse of the facehugger inside the plastic container. He ignored the hunter's stare as he finished his task and returned the bag to a compartment in the back of the vehicle.

"Red", Batman calmly called next, prompting the giant to turn his face back towards the human as the crimefighter was putting his own weapon back where it originated from.

Only clicks were heard from behind the metal mask as the Predator remained still.

"How much time do we have till the alien comes out?", Batman asked as he was busy withdrawing another object from his belt.

"One to two of your planetary rotations", the extra-terrestrial grudgingly informed him.

"What do you propose we _do_ with that 24 to 48, Bats?", Nightwing inquired as he returned from the Batmobile, subconsciously remaining in an area between the other two fighters, just in case tempers were to flare again.

"Already on it", the more experienced individual thought out loud as he activated his cellphone and pushed a specific button for an automatic dial.

He counted five rings before the person on the other end answered, his attention set on Harley the entire time as the blonde was absently hugging herself several feet away from him and anxiously staring at her feet.

"Leslie!", the masked crimefighter eagerly exclaimed as he heard Dr. Thompkins' voice within the phone, "It's me. We have an emergency. Are you still at Bludhaven College?".

A pause as the woman on the other end spoke, in which time Batman walked to where the blonde remained standing and squeezed her left upper arm with his free hand.

"I understand about your students, Leslie, but I need you to perform an operation here as soon as possible", he stopped speaking again, "It's for Harley. As far as I can tell, she has the egg of an alien creature within one of her lungs. We have 24 hours to extract it on the operating table before the egg hatches and the creature exits out of her ribcage".

Another pause.

"Thank you, Leslie", Batman continued, "How long before you can be there?".

He nodded his head and momentarily closed his eyes in relief.

"We'll be ready. See you there", he finally uttered, "Thanks again".

He closed the miniature cellphone and placed it back within its proper compartment as he spoke to the young woman next to him, though certain that he could be overheard by the other two individuals there.

"Doctor Thompkins will be at the Batcave in three hours", the crimefighter informed her, getting her to look up at him rather than the ground, at last, "I need you to be there. She's ready to operate in an attempt to get that specimen out while you're sedated".

She quickly nodded her understanding.

"I'm sorry I came out here", she whispered to him only, "Didn't mean to cause you so much trouble".

"It's _my_ fault for not insisting you stay behind", he evenly countered, "But now isn't the time for this. Right now, the most pertinent issue is to get you to the Batcave and keep you there till Leslie arrives. The mansion's quite a distance away from...".

"Uh, Bats? Why don't you take Harl in the car and wait for Leslie there?", Nightwing interrupted from nearby, "You can come back when Leslie arrives. Me and Red can stay out here till then".

"Are you two sure?", the more experienced fighter first turned to look at him, and then at the Predator who was further away as Nightwing was proceeding towards the hunter.

"Yeah, sure", the younger man gave what Batman suspected was a fake smile as he patted the giant on the back, "Besides, methinks that Red here has a _lot_ of aggression to unleash, so nowhere is it safer than behind him".

Too bad the Predator's face was unreadable from behind his mask, and his body did not budge as he kept staring in Batman's direction.

"Thank you, Nightwing", the older man sighed as he began leading Harley towards the Batmobile, "If you two require my assistance, call me".

"No prob", his former second-in-command waved back as the blonde buckled herself in the front passenger seat.

From that position, the Arkham doctor locked eyes with the young man and mouthed 'thank you' without saying the words out loud, to which he nodded back slowly while closing his eyes.

It was only a few moments later that Batman informed the pair of fighter that he'd join them soon and closed the top of the Batmobile, before speeding away, and leaving the younger human alone with the extra-terrestrial hunter.

"Poor Harl. Sure hope she's OK", Nightwing turned his attention to Red once the vehicle was gone, "But _you_ OK there?".

The lack of response as the Predator continued visually inspecting the alley where the facehugger had been found indicated that the hunter wasn't hurt, at least.

"There arrre humannn bodies there", the giant indicated towards the darker depth of the passageway with his right index finger.

"Wow, not from my point of view, Red", the smaller individual looked in that direction also, but saw pitch black, "How are you so sure?".

"Heat sensssors", the leviathan casually informed him, "There are thrrree of them, killed recentllly".

"Probably the guys that Harl said who were wasted by the alien", the human went on as he withdrew a miniature, but powerful, flashlight, and illuminated the start of the alleyway with it, "Wanna go see if our four-legged friend is still there?".

"It's not", Red quickly pointed out, his attention still at the end of their destination as they began walking towards the cadavers.

"OK, well, it can't hurt to see, I suppose", Nightwing went on as the pair walked side by side, "Maybe we'll find something anyway".

An uncomfortable silence followed as the two individuals proceeded further into the dark alley, walking past trashcans and debris on the ground along the way.

"Tell me something", the Earth native broke the quiet first, looking up at his taller partner, "Were you just gonna stand there and have your chief shoot you, before your ship took off?".

"Of courssse", the hunter kept his gaze straight ahead, occasionally looking at the top of the walls on either side of him, in case the Xenomorph were to return, "It is betterrr to die by the warrior'sss code than to live in disssgrace".

"Uhuh", Nightwing gave a sarcastic approval as they kept walking, "Then is that also why you were so eager to blow yourself up when the handful of four-legs surrounded us?".

No response from the giant this time as Nightwing could see the three bodies that were lying on the ground several yards away from them, due to the artificial illumination created by his flashlight.

"Tell me this, Red", the human kept his eyes on the area in front of him as he continued talking, hoping that his associate wasn't getting annoyed at the conversation, "That whole death before dishonor bullshit your race has got going. You know, the one that you were so willing to die for? Is it the same philosophy that was taught to you by the leaders who also taught you that humans are all corrupt?".

"Yesss", the Predator finally uttered, the truth of what he had realized becoming apparent in his mind, as the hunter momentarily stopped visually examining his surroundings for Xenomorphs.

The extra-terrestrial stayed silent after that, his body language portraying a sense of sadness, which Nightwing guessed was due to the fact that he was suddenly destitute, left behind by his kind and labelled a traitor.

"Well, from _my_ point of view, at least, though I can't speak for Bats back then", the human continued, patting the larger warrior on the arm, "I'm glad you didn't throw your life away like that. And I'm _pretty_ sure that Bats would agree with me if he was here".

Red clicked back as he tensed his arms while standing at his full height, moonlight shining off his metal mask while he looked up at the sky.

"Besides, a shithole like Earth _does_ have some positives, you know", the human smirked while talking further, "I mean, someone like you has a _ton_ of advantages when hunting scumbags here. But you gotta be able to tell who's innocent and who's not. A matter of learning the difference between who _deserves_ to be hunted and who doesn't, you know?".

The Predator relaxed his body while turning his attention back to the only other living being there, saying nothing as he listened to what the human stated.

"I know now what's been bugging me about the way your species does its thing", the smaller native from Earth continued, "See, there's a lot of variety when it comes to fighters. There's mercenaries. They'll go wherever the money is, their muscle goes to whoever pays the highest price and they fight for whoever hires them. There's gladiators, and they're the ones who fight against each other, or against animals for that matter, for sport, while idiots who sit in coliseums are cheering. This world has a pretty sorry history as far as that goes. I'm afraid that your kind is that category, Red, sorry to say".

The giant only growled back softly, at least indicating to Nightwing that he wasn't angered or offended at what he was told. So the young man saw it fit to continue talking in the quiet darkness.

"Then, there's warriors", he added, finally getting to the interesting topic that he had been impatient to describe, "They're the ones who go out and fight for what's right, use their expertise to protect those who are weaker than them, even though there's nothing in it for them. I _like_ to think that me and Bats are this last category. I was wondering if you'd like to be also".

Red partially turned his head to lock eyes with the human, though his own eyes were still hidden behind the metal mask.

"Protect the innocent, punish the guilty", the Earth native continued, glad to have the hunter's full attention, as they looked at each other instead of the bodies that were around them, "It's a simple enough concept on paper, but carrying it out in this world can prove to be a _serious_ pain. And look, one day when we're not chasing or being chased by four-legged cockroaches, I'll sit you down over lunch and discuss the concept of the Social Contract. It's really a brilliant thing. But till then, if you're up for the challenge, I'd love to have you watch my back. As far as I'm concerned, it's the next best thing to having a forty-foot long, fire-breathing dragon on my side. And don't worry if you don't have anywhere to stay. You can always crash at _my_ place".

The smile on his face widened as he finished talking, especially when Red lowered his head towards the ground for an instant, and then quickly raised it back up, the hair-like tentacles at the back of his skull waving in the process.

"So, do you wanna get some Chinese food from a 24-hour take-out? I got money", Nightwing knew he was on to something positive, "Unless, of course, you're not hungry".

"I preferrr beef", the giant uttered back, stating a random fact about himself only because he was asked, "Not famished now".

"Ah. I was hoping you were a veg", the human grinned back, "But I'll take you out to lunch anyway when your stomach starts protesting. But till then, if you're not hungry, I say we go hunting".

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	6. Chapter 6

+15 minutes later+

"Is there anything further Alfred or I can get for you?", an unmasked Batman remained standing next to the CPU as Harley was still seated on the mainframe, hands clenched on top of her thighs while her dejected eyes kept staring at the used tissue that was between her fingers.

"How about a brain, Brucie?", the blonde replied via a sore mouth after several seconds, "And I'm getting your worktop dirty".

"I wouldn't wish to replace the one you already have", he dryly commented, the serious manner in which he delivered his statement prompting her to look up at him, "I've grown rather attached to the one you currently are in possession of".

The young woman locked eyes with crimefighter, his facial expression appearing to be worried about her. Then again, Harley remembered that he had even more on his mind than just her welfare, starting with the miniature war that was taking place within Gotham City, and the safety of his friends who were still out on the streets. And last but not least, Batman's body had been seriously battered, and the way he stood betrayed the physical pain he was constantly enduring, though he could've probably hidden that particular discomfort from most people who had casually stared at him.

As long as one of those people wasn't her, that is. But she knew better than to think he was unhurt, even if she hadn't watched him nearly getting beaten to death a few hours ago.

The last thought in her mind recalled images of the red-masked giant who was about to execute Bruce in front of her, which caused Harley to panic further in light of the current worries that were already on her mind. She result was that she felt herself choking as she sniffled and new tears ran down both sides of her face, prompting her to moan in frustration while she forcibly unclenched her hands and used the tissue there to blow her nose.

"I _hate_ this!", she uttered as she continued drying both eyes with her right palm next, "It's not fair at all".

"No, it never is", the older man stepped in front of her and squatted on the ground, looking up at her face so as to lock eyes with her when she lowered her head, which she did, as he expected.

The Arkham doctor only shook her head further, blowing her nose one more time and making him wish that she would just use another tissue by now. There was a half-empty box on the surface of the mainframe, after all, but the young woman seemed fixated on using the same tissue repeatedly.

In another place and another time, that may have been funny.

"But Leslie will be here in just over two hours, Harley", Batman consoled further as he gently placed one hand on her right knee, the better to get her attention and cause her to listen, "She's really the best person to deal with this problem. If anyone can help us through this, it's her".

"Not just _that_", the young woman sniffed once, "Just, after all the shit I did when I was out of my head. After all that work that we _both_ did, all that effort, just to get me where I am now. It's _wrong_ for me to die such a short time after I started atoning for the past. It's wrong to have me taken out of this world before my penance is complete, Brucie. It's just _not_ right! I have a ton more work to do at Arkham before I'm even with the old me".

"And you'll have a few more decades to work with after the creature's removed", Batman promised while standing up to his full height and taking her hand in his.

She suspected he sounded more confident in Dr. Thompkins' ability to successfully operate than he actually felt, but regardless, the notion was appreciated.

"How badly hurt are you, puddin'?", she whispered next, desperate to think about anything other than the monster that was being raised in her ribcage.

"I'm fine", he quickly lied, "Not in bad enough shape to put an end to tonight's fight against those creatures".

The constant throb in his head and torso was enough of a reminder to inform him that his statements weren't totally true.

"I can feel my energy level diminishing with every hour that passes", he admitted at last, "Once I'm done, I'll need some rest. So it may be some time before Bruce Wayne can take you out to dinner again".

Harley laughed without expecting to do so as she partially looked away from him.

"Well, if _that's_ the case, I better go fall in love with _another_ millionaire who works tirelessly to help his enemies reform", she chuckled while she rubbed her eyes dry, sniffling as she did.

Moving carefully, she withdrew her hand from his and used the side of both index fingers to rub her eyes again, completing the task before doing what she knew she had to. So she looked up at the crimefighter while she tried to not make it obvious that she was gripping the sides of her own legs due to the tension she felt.

"You need to go and back up Nightwing and your alien friend, sweetie", she ultimately informed him, "Alfred is fine when it comes to keeping me company till Leslie gets here, and once she _does_, then it's all gonna be up to her, isn't it? No point in you staying here while the city needs you".

"Forget it", Batman curtly countered, brushing his hand aside as if to end that conversation as soon as he had spoken those two words.

"You _need_ to!", she shot back, going against the overwhelming instinct of wanting him to remain there, "I can tell from your body language even _now_. You're torn between being with me and being out _there_. And not that I don't want you here, Brucie, but I can't have you spending your time here, holding my hand, while you could be saving people's lives tonight".

"Nice argument, doctor Quinn from Arkham Asylum's Counselling Services", the older man kept his attention on her as he pronounced her entire title, forcing her to stop darting her eyes on everything there except him, "Too bad you're not in charge of deciding what I do with my own time".

She sighed back, lowering her head in frustration despite his gaze into her face.

"Remember the first time I jumped on you and gave you a kiss?", she answered after lifting her eyes back up to look into his, knowing that he did, "You saved my life earlier that day, and kept not giving up on me even though I kept being a bitch and telling you to get bent. You stopped me being dead anyway. It was _your_ persistence that helped me get over Mr. J, and you did it because it's right, not for any other reason".

"It's policy to never give up on people who need help", Batman easily repeated one of his oldest convictions, "It's why the taking of a life is not allowed, because people always have the potential for change. You still haven't told me what one topic has to do with the other, Harley".

"It's why I love you", the blonde meekly answered.

She thought that at least her response was enough to keep him from using more retorts to her point of view.

"So you need to go back out and keep doing what I _love_ you for doing", she followed through, ironically aware that she was succeeding in doing the one thing that could make her more uncomfortable at this time, which was to convince him to leave, "And like I said, I'm in good hands with Alfred here".

The older man only sighed, looking away and rubbing his eyes with his gloved right hand.

"I _better_ see you again after this", he irritably mentioned as he let go of his face.

"Of course you will, puddin'. Not going anywhere", Harley forced a fake smile on her own lips as she casually leapt off the computer mainframe and embraced him, wrapping her arms around his upper back and squeezing for several heartbeats.

She waited as long as she could, and only then slowly parted from him as she knew she should, still hating that she had to do this.

"You know where the sterile room, x-ray machine and other equipment is, for when Leslie arrives", Batman spoke in a softer tone once he was separated from the blonde and busy replacing the mask over his head, "As well as the remains of that creature, if Leslie should decide to autopsy it first".

"I do indeed", she nodded, anxiously gripping the edge of the mainframe behind her in frustration, though successfully keeping the tension off her face, "You just take off and kick some alien ass. I'll just stay right here. And I'm guessing you need to get a new cape and one of those shooting hooks of yours first, right?".

"Yes", the crimefighter tightened the gloves around his forearms, "And will be visiting commissioner Gordon after that before rejoining Nightwing. The city needs to be alerted of this threat. The sooner, the better".

"I love you, sweetie", the Arkham counselor pushed her head forward while rising on her toes, and then planted a kiss on his lips.

"And I you, Harley", the masked fighter held her chin while kissing her back.

Batman first walked backwards after they parted for the second time and she returned to a seated position on the large CPU. He quickened his pace while their eyes were locked, and only then turned around completely. The last sight she saw was that of him heading off towards his armory, and then his figure disappeared completely, having been swallowed up by the cavern's shadows.

And why did this place look so much more gloomy when she was alone?

Regardless, that wasn't important right now. Harley's mind raced as she heard only herself breathing and the sound of bats fluttering overhead, so she looked up towards the high natural ceiling, unable to see the small animals, but breathing in the cool air regardless. Anything to keep her mind off the monster that was waiting to kill her by being born. And the tactic almost worked.

But no matter how hard she tried, there was no distracting her from the very real possibility that this was her last night alive, and the only difference that Dr. Thompkins may have made was that she died in surgery and not screaming in extreme pain. So Harley stood up, slowly pacing the ground in front of the CPU and giant monitor, feeling the wet and muddy costume that was usually so snug, but now seemed extremely uncomfortable. Then again, she guessed that it didn't matter how cosy or clean her clothes were, or were not, in this particular case, as she'd be experiencing this anguish anyhow, due to her dread of what was to come.

So if she did end up dying on an operating table tonight, she wondered how she wanted her last few hours on Earth to be spent. Sitting in this gigantic cave, frequently snivelling while Alfred brought her servings of tea, toast and cake, or doing something else entirely?

It was then that she heard an echo of the Batmobile driving towards the cavern's exit. So far in the distance, her consort was on his way out, leaving his home so he could do what he was best at. That induced her to think about Batman further, both the person beneath the mask as well as the superhero persona, both of whom she was very familiar with now. And it was all she needed to make up her mind.

Without informing Alfred, as she suspected he may try to stop her if she did, Harley tiptoed towards the cave's exit that led to the mansion above. Granted it was being outside that led her into the terrible situation she was stuck in at the current time, but she had more things to do before Dr. Thompkins arrived.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

+40 minutes later+

It was a deserted and lit sidewalk where Samuel Kleghar had settled down for the night several hours ago. He looked older than his age of 56 years, huddled amid several layers of clothing that he had acquired while living on the streets for nearly two decades. Doing his best to be warm, he remained in a partially seated position on the wet steamvent that shot hot air from the subway below, his back resting against the wall of the small grocery store behind him. It was a position that was as comfortable as one could expect, given the conditions.

The middle-aged man's eyes were closed, his right hand instinctively clutching the only blanket he had access to, as the thick material was wrapped around his body from the shoulders down to his ankles. His left fingers, though, kept a gentler hold on a bible that was resting against his chest. It was in that state that he had almost fallen asleep, looking forward to a few hours of hopefully uninterrupted rest, before the sun rose again and the inevitable noise of commuters would quickly wake him back up.

He thought to himself that he had at least found a decent enough home, within the area where he currently slept outdoors. For starters, the owner of the business against which he was currently leaning was one of the few individuals who didn't harass him into moving away when the shop opened at 6AM, due to complaints that his presence would deter customers from coming inside. In addition, the person who ran this grocery store, a younger man affectionately referred to as Mikey for several weeks, was even nice enough to sometimes bring him food that was about to expire, rightly guessing that Samuel would prefer to eat it, rather than tossing it in garbage cans at the back of the shop.

Of course, the possibility of such an occurrence wasn't for several more hours, and for now, the only sound Samuel could hear was that of his own breathing as he could feel his own heartbeat steadily slowing, indicating that he would fall asleep soon. It was a pretty nice feeling, and one which he looked forward to, after a day of working towards his own survival, all the while keeping up with his religious readings and practices after acquiring enough food for the day. So there was nothing to do but enjoy the relaxing sensation which accompanied that of slipping into comfortable unconsciousness, and look forward to the next dawn that his God provided him with.

But then, his mind caught the presence of a sound the like of which he could never remember hearing before. The strange noise resembled the hissing of a stray cat, which Samuel was very familiar with, as he was in the habit of giving homeless animals bits of food that had been earlier provided for him by his friend Mikey. But this clamour was different, more high-pitched, and aggressive.

So Samuel opened his eyes to see where the noise had originated from, and he heard himself screaming in fear as his eyes and mouth widened at the sight in front of him. A gigantic beast, possibly as long as nine feet, without measuring its tail, that was stalking him, nearing the human being as it approached on four legs. Saliva drooled out of the monster's mouth, its terrible eyes staring at its prey as it hissed a second time, exposing teeth that looked eager to eviscerate him where he was.

"Oh no! The Devil!", Samuel exclaimed as he rushed to stand up, the fact that his blanket had been wrapped so tightly around him only slowing down his efforts as he groggily rose to his feet.

This beast could be no one else except for Satan himself, having risen from Hell to kill him. So Samuel initially backed away, trying to put as much space between himself and his stalker as possible.

But if this truly was the case that he believed, then Samuel's survival was surely doomed, as no man could stand up to the Devil and live, not considering all the unholy power that this demonic beast possessed. So the middle-aged man stopped moving, opting to kneel on the ground as he pressed the bible against his heart with his left hand and performed the sign of the cross over his face and torso with his right. It was true that God had tested him repeatedly in his life, giving him a difficult life to survive, and then demanding that he treat other creatures well in the process. And if God was allowing the Devil to confront him now, then it was surely his time to leave this world, and face judgement for the way he lived his life.

So he was going to be defiant, refusing to close his eyes as the demon approached him further, clearly readying to pounce on him from several yards away as its legs bent due to the anticipation.

He started saying a Hail Mary prayer as he prepared for the inevitable, and the monster growled as it rushed towards him.

Except that Samuel next saw an Angel from Heaven intercepting the Devil's attack. This new visitor could also be none other. She was currently in the form of a human female, with blonde hair and dressed in a tight, red outfit. And from her appearance, she had been having a rather difficult a time while visiting this world. But as befits a true Angel, that wasn't enough to dissuade her, since the Angel slammed into the creature from the side, knocking the beast aside and preventing it from attacking him.

Confused, but pleasantly surprised, Samuel remained on his knees as he watched the Devil hissing at the Angel, while the latter stood between itself and him. As expected, the demonic beast did not dare try to rush past her in its desire to kill him, surely knowing that its strength was no match when compared to the power of one of Heaven's guardians. So the Devil stood on its rear legs and hissed angrily, showing off a second mouth inside its original jaw, always impatient to tear this kneeling human apart. But not surprisingly, the Angel wasn't deterred, bravely standing her ground as she refused to back down, effectively saving his life.

"I know what you're thinking", he heard the Angel talking even though her back was turned to him, as she addressed the unholy creation, "What's a gorgeous girl like her doing talking to an ugly mutt like me?".

Her language was definitely not what Samuel had expected. But then again, who was he to decide how Heaven's creatures should talk when they were on Earth?

The Devil refused to answer her as it only hissed again and tried to move around her, always keen on getting its vicious claws and teeth into the human. Even with the Angel here, the sight was enough to momentarily frighten Samuel, so he slowly rose back to a standing position, though refusing to come closer to the blonde Angel who kept the beast away from him.

True enough to her nature, the Angel jumped aside, intentionally standing in front of the monster and halting its forward progress, and the Devil succumbed, refusing to move past her again despite its desire to kill him. And due to its insolence, Heaven's soldier delivered a strong, open-handed slap to its face, which was enough to snap the demon's head aside, before it turned its attention back on her and hissed again.

"I've had enough of this", the Angel finally commented, though sounding as if she was only thinking out loud, rather than addressing either the human or the Devil there, and Samuel saw her reaching within her clothes.

With his eyes constantly paying attention to what she did, she withdrew a small revolver, undid its safety mechanism, pointed the muzzle only a few inches away from the Devil's head, and pulled the trigger once. The monster shrieked as it was thrown backwards, even as the Angel quickly walked away from it, apparently eager to not get any of its filth on her person.

Not that Samuel could blame her for wishing to remain clean. Heaven's creatures were not to be fouled by coming into contact with Hell's minions.

It was only after confirming that the Devil was dead due to its lack of movement that the lovely Angel turned her attention towards him, looking into his eyes from several feet away.

Samuel meant to kneel back down, to say a prayer while showing her the gratitude he felt for acting on behalf of God's divine intervention. But he had been so shocked at everything that took place in the last minute that he slumped down in an ungraceful seated position instead, roughly sitting on the sidewalk.

"Are you OK, puddin'?", Heaven's warrior asked as she approached him, while placing the human-made weapon back within her clothes.

He couldn't find the right words to answer with as she squatted next to him, her eyes looking into his as she gave him the gentlest smile he had seen in a long time.

"You're not saying anything", the Angel continued, appearing more worried now, "Are you hurt?".

"No!", Samuel quickly shook his head, "No, not at all. Thanks to _you_".

"Don't mention it", she lightly patted him on the shoulder, "I'm glad I saw it on time".

"I truly thought my time in this life was finished", he continued, glad to be catching his breath, as he returned her gaze, happy to be looking into her face, "I thought I was on my way to pay for my sins and then see them again".

"Who's 'them', exactly?", the Angel inquired, genuinely curious.

Odd, that she was from Heaven and didn't know about his loved ones. But still, he wasn't in a position to decide how she should act.

"Lisa, Kathy and Paul", Samuel went on, taking his time as he explained, repositioning himself in a more comfortable seated position since she appeared to be willing to speak to him even though he wasn't kneeling as he should, "My wife, and my two children. They haven't been with me for more than twenty years now, ever since the fire that claimed them from me, and took them back to our mutual master".

"Our mutual master?", she raised both eyebrows, pretending to not know who he meant.

Perhaps Angels didn't appreciate being put on the same level of worship before their Lord as humans were. If so, then fair enough.

"I'm sorry", Samuel smiled as he looked away in shame, "I meant God. But I suppose you have a different name for Him".

He looked back up into her eyes, her facial expression indicating that she truly did.

"Yeah, trust me, puddin'", the Angel grinned, "I've called that guy _many_ different names over the years".

She managed to stun him into silence.

"Poor thing", she sadly whispered as she stabilized herself in the squatted position, actually reaching for his face and lightly touching his right cheek as she spoke, "I wish I could _do_ something else for you. What brings you out to be living here anyway?".

"Don't despair. God _has_ done all for me", Samuel assured her, still enjoying his encounter with the unearthly being, "After my dear three were taken from me in that horrible fire, I didn't think I could continue. Lost our home due to having no fire insurance. It was a sobering enough experience, being told the only thing your government would do for you was to offer you a low-interest loan that you couldn't afford anyway since you were too depressed to keep your job".

"Oh, I'm sorry", the Angel continued, suddenly seeming unsure with what to say or do in her efforts to make him feel better, which was odd.

Maybe she wasn't allowed to use her extraordinary abilities while on Earth, Samuel guessed to himself, which would definitely explain why she had to rely on human weapons to deal with the Devil.

"Don't be, I'm in good hands", he extended his hand towards her, which she soon held, the pressure in her fingers being soft and strong at the same time, "I know God is testing me, that's all. It's why I had no home, no job and no one to stay with when I was de-institutionalized, and this world kept telling me how I didn't qualify for help since I didn't have my darling kids with me or didn't have any disabilities. It's all a test to see how good I can be regardless of my circumstances, and once my time is finished here, my actions will decide how soon I see Lisa, Kathy and Paul again".

"Oh Jesus!", the blonde Angel sighed as she kept her one hand within his and lowered her face into her other palm, "You have _no_ idea how easily I could've been where you are now, puddin'".

"I don't understand", the older man who was still seated went on, "What do you mean?".

The warrior from Heaven was about to answer when a ringing sound emanated from within her clothes, so she instinctively withdrew her hand from his and stood up, bringing out a cellphone from one of her pockets. She gave a standard greeting into the mobile phone, before a thicker, male voice from the other end, who was loud enough for Samuel to hear, urgently replied.

"Harley, _why_ aren't you in the Batcave?", the stranger who had called the Angel demanded.

"Just went for a walk, sweetie, nothing more", the blonde soldier of the Lord nonchalantly replied.

"Leslie's there now! She was early!", her correspondent answered, "Get back there _now_, Harley!".

"Fine, sweetie, no problem", the Angel reassured, a mixture of anxiety and relief on her face at being told the news, "I'll be there in twenty".

"Hurry", was the only word that the man on the phone urged before hanging up.

She sighed sadly as she looked back down at his seated position, Samuel being able to tell that she was breathing heavily, now that the phone conversation was over and she was putting the closed cellphone away.

"I promise you'll see your family one day", the Angel stated as she squatted next to him again, bringing her face to within several inches of his.

She withdrew something he couldn't distinguish out of another of her pockets and handed it to him, before standing back up.

"But for now, get yourself a nice meal, OK?", the Angel advised with a sad smile.

It was all she said, because she then turned away from him and bolted down the sidewalk, eventually turning a corner after three blocks, and disappearing from his view altogether.

Samuel breathed in and out in his own turn, suddenly left alone in the silent street, which was as peaceful as it had been a few minutes ago, when he was previously getting ready to fall asleep. But he knew for a fact that the recent occurrences were real and not just a dream, as the Devil's body was still lying several yards away from where he was seated.

He looked down at his hand, and saw that the Angel had given him a $20 bill.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

+30 minutes later+

"Are we getting anywhere fast?", Nightwing thought out loud as he remained strapped to the Batmobile's backseat while the vehicle was moving down the street, albeit slower than usual.

"What's on your mind?", Batman responded with a question of his own while his gaze was ahead of him, driving the car with both hands on the steering wheel, and still struggling to ignore the ache in his head and torso.

After all, the painkillers he carried along with the First Aid kit for the objective of allowing him to temporarily procrastinate a doctor's visit could only do so much.

"I say we take a break, Bats", the young man told him, "We go back to homebase, you stay with Harl, and get Leslie to look at you afterwards, and I fix the Batwing. We should _really_ search for these critters from the air".

He wasn't bothered that the Predator in the front passenger seat seemed uninterested in the conversation, as the hunter's masked face was constantly staring back and forth. That's because Red was always visually combing as much of his environment as possible in the search for Xenomorphs and not paying attention to anything else.

"I _did_ consider that possibility", the older human added after a pause of several seconds, "I don't prefer that option. When all is said and done, you _don't_ know how long it will take you to fix the Batwing, do you?".

"Well, no", Nightwing admitted, "Maybe a couple of hours?".

"Not good enough", his former instructor quickly countered, "Can't afford to be out of action for that long".

The less experienced crimefighter only sighed in frustration, rolling his eyes from behind the mask as he stared away, looking outside the side window instead.

"Something on your mind?", Batman asked next, having waited a few moments without the younger man saying anything further.

His previous second-in-command locked eyes with the caped crusader for only an instant as their gaze met via the vehicle's rear-view mirror. The brief glimpse was all Batman was allowed, before Nightwing looked away yet again, pretending to be interested in the darkness that was outside the back window.

"Not really", the younger man replied with another sigh, which was enough of an indication for the other human of the presence of a problem, even as the giant who shared their vehicle kept switching his own view from the left to the right, and back again.

"You _do_ remember the old warning, back when your training started, right?", Batman continued talking as he kept his eyes on the road ahead, "It was the lesson regarding the importance of a clear and focused mind not being distracted when heading into battle, since it's the easiest way to get one's self killed?".

As he spoke, the Batmobile left the neighbourhood that the three warriors were travelling through, currently entering a new area of Gotham City, this one being a lower class one. As a result, approximately half the streetlights were suddenly no longer working, and the presence of numerous potholes on the street made the vehicle's journey more jarring.

"Why, Bats, as your most studious apprentice", the junior combatant's face lit up with a grin, "I take _all_ your lessons to heart, the way you so generously taught them to a novice like me".

If Batman had been the type, he would have rolled his eyes at the sarcasm that he had to put up with and at the young man's refusal to take the situation as seriously as it should be.

Instead, the older crimefighter remained quiet, intentionally keeping his eyes away from the rear-view mirror because he knew that his friend was staring into it and looking decidedly smug. It was the only way to convince Nightwing to talk about his emotions nowadays.

"It's the Joker", his former sidekick finally uttered, the smile gone from his face by now.

"What _about_ him?", Batman followed through.

"I guess I've been thinking about him, and what happened to him", the young man inhaled and exhaled loudly, "Keep wondering… I thought I'd feel better once he was gone, you know?".

"I've seen more than a few troubled individuals over the years, Nightwing", the caped crusader went on once the former apprentice had stopped talking, "And I will _never_ negate on my belief of always trying to help those characters reform, but Joker was the _one_ madman who I believe personified the idea that rehabilitation was impossible".

"Well, it is _now_!", the backseat passenger chuckled, though making it sound forced as he did.

"I suppose it is, yes", Batman nodded once, "Joker's _not_ surviving this particular brush with death".

"I'm also wondering if those Preds were planning to snap his neck all along", Nightwing added on his own accord, finding it easier to talk about the issue now, "Or, you know, if it was… If it was what _I_ said that convinced them to do it, about how he hadn't lured you to them like he planned. I dunno, man, all those times when I _wished_ he was dead, I _can't_ be feeling bad about maybe having a hand in making it happen".

"You should not be beating yourself up over this", Batman commented, almost as if he was giving a command, and expecting it to be followed, "But my guess would be that once we invited ourselves to our visitors' doorsteps, they realized that Joker was no longer needed, so it's not blood on your hands".

While still driving, the older of the two humans quickly glanced over to the Predator who was still visually scanning the dark environment outside the Batmobile.

"Would you be so kind as to clarify what your species' view is on these matters?", the caped crusader inquired of the hunter before resuming his attention on the road ahead.

Having been addressed, the giant stopped turning his head in every direction and only stared back at the driver.

"Yaujta rarrrely spare the life of a prey", the behemoth hissed through his mask, "If the prey is not a worthy adversssary, if it bests us in honorrrable combat, or if a bargain is made where something morrre desirable is offered in exchange for the prey's life. In this last categorrry, if a prey were to fail to deliver on the bargain, the prrrey's life is forfeit".

"End of discussion, then", Batman added his own opinion to the hunter's statement, as if he expected his words to immediately quell Nightwing's concerns.

"Here's another thought, dude", Nightwing slightly arched his head towards the vehicle's closed ceiling, while horizontally extending his right arm past the shoulder so that limb rested on the back of the rear seat, "Red, you said that your guys were hunting these Xeno things, right?".

"That isss correct", the Predator in the front seat replied without turning his head around, either not noticing or ignoring Batman's slight shake of the head as the older human thought the young man should've been more attentive while on patrol.

"Then why was Bats here surrounded by Preds _and_ Xenos when I swooped down with the Batwing earlier tonight?", the less experienced crimefighter continued, "They seemed to be co-operating _quite_ well then".

The hunter remained silent for a few seconds, having realized what a good question that was, even as Nightwing's point occurred to Batman himself.

"My only speculation is that this human shocked my brrrethren by defffeating me", Red finally spoke up, still staring through all the windows in the car, "It is a rarrre occurrence. So other Yautchas must have wished to challenge himmm next, as he had proven his worth as the ultimate human prey. The Xenomorphs, on the other hand, must have belllieved him to be the one who killed one of their own, even when it was I who dealt that fatal blow, and thus teamed up against him to ellliminate the threat to their ranks. They are quite intelligennnt, that way".

"Ah", the younger man casually nodded his head.

Neither human had time to say anything else, as Red's body suddenly tensed as he gazed past Batman. He giant extended his left arm past the back of the driver's head and pointed with that index finger as he angrily screamed behind the metal mask. Both crimefighters instinctively looked in the direction he was indicating, and then simultaneously swore to themselves upon realizing that neither one of them could see in the pitch black darkness.

Regardless, upon trusting the Predator's ability to see the Xenomorphs' body heat, Batman quickly pulled the vehicle over and parked next to the sidewalk. Once the top of the Batmobile moved aside, all three occupants rushed to undo their seatbelt and hurried out of the car.

Several yards away from where they stood, the humans spotted a fairly tall apartment building, so they each withdrew a handheld, but very powerful, flashlight and illuminated the side of the structure that faced them. Quickly counting fourteen floors, the crimefighters then spotted a lone Xenomorph that moved along the outer wall with the ease of a fly, proceeding from the rooftop to the first open window.

Batman and Nightwing hastily withdrew a pre-pressurized grappling hook while putting away the flashlight, even as the four-legged monster sneaked into the room that waited on the other side of the highest floor of the building. The two humans pointed the transportation device at the bottom of the windowsill, as distant screams were heard emanating from inside the tall structure's top floor.

"Stay together!", Batman ordered, even while the Predator bolted away from them.

The hunter ran towards the building's main entrance and tried to open the metal door which led inside. He grunted in frustration when he found it to be locked, while the two humans sailed upwards through the air behind him. Looking over the buzzer that contained a button which represented each of the tenancies, and failing to understand how to operate it, the extra-terrestrial giant simply used his shoulder to crash through the metal barrier. His great mass and power proved to be too much for even such a strong doorway as he forced his way to the lobby on the other side.

From the humans' point of view, Batman and Nightwing reached the bottom of the window through which the Xenomorph had disappeared within a few seconds, both men hurrying through the opening. Once they entered the room on the other side, the two crimefighters froze where they stood due to the sight that greeted them.

Within the studio apartment that included an attached, on-suite kitchen, there were three beds which had contained four people on them. The first, largest bed was for a couple who had slept on it earlier tonight, and each of the other two, smaller beds contained an adolescent boy on it. In the middle of the cramped apartment, the 8-foot long Xenomorph stood vertically on its rear legs, easily the largest being there, and was busy eating the remains of one of the children as all four family members were already dead.

Upon seeing the two new intruders, the four-legged monster turned away from its meal, hissing at the live humans instead. It didn't get the chance to attack because Batman delivered a flying kick into its torso, sending it staggering backwards in a hiss of pain and outrage. The Xenomorph's upper back slammed into the wall behind it as the caped crusader gracefully landed on his feet in front of it. Quickly regaining its composure, the alien reached forth with its head as its main jaw snapped open and shut, aiming to bite the human's skull. But Batman was ready as he swiftly grabbed its head via both his hands and used its forward momentum to continue pulling its body past himself and towards the floor.

The Xenomorph shrieked again as the human slammed its body horizontally against the floor, Batman next gripping the alien's neck and placing his entire weight on top of its own in an effort to prevent the monster from getting back up. The four-legged creature hissed and spat again, trying to reach for the human with its front limbs and desperately attempting to stab him with its tail. But as it did, Nightwing rushed in the direction of the stand-off, passing by the attached kitchen as he did, and borrowing the 10-inch butcher knife he spotted in the sink. Reaching the spot where the older man kept the beast pinned against the floor, though the Xenomorph was slowly pushing itself back up, the young man drove the length of the entire blade into the alien's head.

The monster's body twitched and then slackened, before it lifelessly collapsed and did not move again. A pool of acid began to eat a hole through the floor underneath its head as Red kicked in the door from the hallway outside. Rushing into the small apartment, the Predator quickly stared at the dead alien, then at the two humans who had killed it, and finally at the four humans who were lying in their bloodied beds. Seeing that he had joined the fight too late, in addition to the agitated expression on the face of his allies, the hunter physically relaxed as he turned around and walked out of the room, slower this time.

With no emergency to deal with, Batman and Nightwing turned back towards the open window, the edge of their grappling hooks still embedded in that area. Neither individual said anything as they proceeded out of the windowsill, though the younger man knew from experience that the caped crusader was gritting his teeth in frustration at having failed to save any of the alien's victims. Nightwing was already making plans within his own head to call the Gotham Police so as to have the bodies removed, when he was interrupted by a scream from the floor below theirs, though this one seemed to carry a sense of outrage rather than one of fear and pain.

"What…? What the FUCK?", the male tenant downstairs yelled, "Why is there a HOLE in the damn ROOF! Hey!... HEY! Who the fuck's gonna PAY for that! _I'm_ not paying for it! Damn landlord! What the fuck!".

The young man sighed as he exited the room that contained five corpses within it, now reminding himself to keep a track of the address. That way, he could return when the emergency was finished with the intention of financially compensating the tenant downstairs for his loss, with Bruce Wayne's money, of course.

It was a quick trip back to the street outside. The two masked humans climbed back aboard the Batmobile, while Red joined them as the hunter was wisely using his invisibility cloak so as to remain unseen due to the few people who had gathered around the vehicle. Ignoring the small crowd, Batman activated the car roof to close while he simultaneously started the engine, and then sped down the street as all three beings strapped on a seatbelt. The crimefighter was still angrily gripping the steering wheel with both hands while the Predator pushed a sequence of buttons and turned himself visible again.

Nightwing sank into the backseat, disliking the fact that his efforts failed to save anyone during the last confrontation also, and wisely remaining quiet until his mentor stopped sulking.

They hadn't driven far when Batman's cellphone rang, the caped crusader withdrawing the gadget with his right hand and placing it against his ear while his left hand remained on the steering wheel.

"Yes", he greeted the caller before listening to what was said from the other end, "Got it. One moment".

He turned his attention to his two passengers while the mobile phone remained in his right fingers.

"Alfred says Leslie informed him that the creature will be extracted from Harley's right lung in another fifteen minutes", the older crimefighter informed his second-in-command without looking at him, "He wants to know what we want done with it".

"You need to ask?", Nightwing didn't hesitate to reply, "Tell him to kill the stupid thing".

"_We_ should do it", the more experienced crimefighter continued, "I'd rather not have that animal running around the Batcave in case Alfred isn't able to exterminate it".

"Works for me", the younger man continued.

"We'll be there in ten minutes, Alfred", Batman returned to speaking into the cellphone, "Tell Leslie to wait until we're there to deal with the creature".

"Really, Bats. We need _three_ of us to deal with one critter now?", the youngster in the backseat undid his seatbelt and leaned forward, placing his now-grinning face between the caped crusader and the hunter.

"What are you saying?", his mentor questioned while realizing that he had to slow the vehicle down.

"How about if _you_ go greet this baby from another planet?", Nightwing enthusiastically replied, not feeling physically tired in the least, "And Red and I will stay on foot and… keep hunting?".

The junior crimefighter patted the Predator's left upper arm as he finished talking, prompting the giant to turn his masked head towards the smaller human in the backseat. Red made quick eye contact with Nightwing from behind the metal visor, and then turned his attention back to the windshield ahead. The lack of protests on the hunter's part was enough to indicate that the human could have his way, and that only widened the grin on his face.

"Yeah, me and Red can hold our own. Just drop us off in that alley there, Bats", Nightwing leaned back into the backseat once more, pointing towards the first dark passageway he spotted outside of the Batmobile, "And tell Harley we both said 'hi', OK?".

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	7. Chapter 7

+15 minutes later+

He had been pacing the flat ground of the Batcave that passed for a natural floor for only a short period, which had felt much longer due to his state of mind. For the first time in a long years, the sound of fluttering bats overhead wasn't calming him down, either. But finally, Dr Thompkins exited the small operating room that was available within the underground cavern, which prompted Batman to stop anxiously walking around just outside the OR room.

"Here it is, Bruce", the older woman carefully held a small creature within both her hands, one that looked nothing like the larger Xenomorph that the caped crusader had been told the animal would quickly grow into, but appeared aggressive enough as it snarled at the physician while trying to attack her with its two small arms.

His facial reaction didn't change from behind the mask, even as he reached forward and roughly pulled the alien out of her hands, acting such a way for the sake of her safety more so than anything else.

"I would hate to see how aggressive this little guy would've been if he _had_ been allowed to finish his birth cycle", Leslie mentioned as she relaxed her gloved and bloodied hands by her side, "It's only half matured within the host and it's already this violent. What do you plan to do with it, Bruce?".

Without answering, Batman turned away from the doctor and threw the alien being towards the ground that was a handful of yards away. The creature flopped on the ground, leaving a trail of Harley's blood as it did, and hissed at the two humans there.

It then tried to dash away, running towards the dark recesses of the cave. But it didn't get far as Batman next withdrew a large throwing star and launched it at the baby Xenomorph via his right hand. The flying blade cut the animal in half and instantly silenced it as its two, nearly equal body parts rested on the ground, blood from the carcass eating away at the rock below before the effect of the acid receded.

"I guess that answers my question", the doctor behind him gave a tired smile as she began turning towards the operating room beyond them both.

"Any news, Leslie?", the crimefighter somberly inquired, knowing that she didn't have long to stay there to converse.

"Well, Bruce, Harley's alright. Sedated, obviously, but the surgery went as well as could be expected", the older woman let him know, summarizing as much as possible without leaving any important details out, "I'll sew her back and she can start the process of recovery. The next 24 hours are crucial, though, and I wish I could be here to watch her. But I'm going to give specific instructions to Alfred for now, so he can do that _for_ me".

"Why aren't you staying?", he asked next, rubbing his eyes as pain and exhaustion were beginning to take their toll.

"Oh, I guess you haven't heard, Bruce", Leslie explained, "The Police sent out a warning, telling people of the monsters who are running around. They also instructed anyone who's attacked by these, facehuggers, as it were, and who then wakes up, to report to Gotham General immediately so they can be operated on before the aliens are born. That's where I'm heading, to volunteer my services".

"I understand. Thank you for saving her", Batman slightly bowed his head in gratitude, "I'm leaving myself, but feels better to know that she's out of the woods for now".

"Hmm...", the surgeon visually inspected the crimefighter as she said nothing for a moment, "Seems to me that _you_ should be going to Gotham General _with_ me, Bruce. I mean, I know you don't want to leave Dick by himself, but...".

"Nightwing's not alone, but no, I don't have the time", he softly interrupted while locking eyes with her, "I'm not in danger of passing out, which means that rest will have to wait".

Leslie raised her eyebrows slightly, thinking to herself that she didn't have much hope of changing his mind, as he was the one person she knew who was more stubborn than herself. And to make matters worse, her time was limited, both in regards to her current patient and with her wish to report to the city's largest hospital.

"Though I must admit, my energy level is substantially decreasing with every passing hour", the crimefighter quietly conceded after several moments of silence, "But as long as I have energy _left_, I need to be out there".

"In that case, just be careful, please", Leslie mentioned, the concern clear on her face even if she hadn't said so out loud.

"Always am. You too, Leslie", was Batman's only reply before he turned and proceeded back towards the waiting Batmobile.

As he settled down behind the steering wheel, he acknowledged the fact that it was becoming more difficult to breathe, in addition to the pain in his chest growing more intense. And as tempting as it was to take the doctor's advice and seek medical assistance, the caped crusader repeated to himself that he couldn't afford the time. So for now, the instinct to seek help had to be ignored as he adjusted the seatbelt and then started the vehicle.

He just wished that decades of going against that instinct to seek comfort would made the process easier tonight. But that wasn't the case.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

+3.5 days later+

"I'm Summer Gleason!", the young woman almost screamed into the camera while holding a microphone in front of her torso as she was squatted behind the news van, "We're live outside Weyland Unlimited, which you may already know as one of the country's largest computer chip companies, as well as Gotham's biggest employer!".

Huddled a few feet in front of the reporter, also behind the protection of the large vehicle and beneath the brilliance of the mid-day sun, was a cameraman. He was operating the shoulder-carried machine that fed Summer's image and voice directly to the journalists' headquarters, and a technician was maintaining the overall equipment. All three individuals kept their heads lowered for their own safety as two dozen Police cars, two SWAT vans, and several vehicles that belonged to television news studios surrounded one of the largest buildings in downtown Gotham.

"We've heard reports from our contact within the Police force that at least two monsters had run amock in the building that you see just beyond the barricade of cars there", Summer continued talking into the camera lens, having calmed down by now.

As she did, the cameraman quickly looked away from her and pointed the fairly heavy machinery towards the entrance of the 35-storey building that served as the Weyland Unlimited headquarters, which was less than a hundred feet away. The older man then returned the camera in the reporter's direction so she could continue talking.

"We believe that there are at least two monsters who were reported to be present within that highrise", the young woman continued talking into the camera as she tried to ignore the commotion made by everyone else.

Dozens of officers were nearby, weapons and riot gear at the ready, as well as the civilians who were being held at bay, all the better to keep them as far away from the scene as possible. Such noise proved to be difficult to disregard when she was trying to concentrate on her task at hand.

But just then, more screams of surprise were heard, which prompted the young woman to peek past the side of the news van, in time to see a terrified man who had haphazardly dashed out of the building's entrance. In response to her action, the cameraman swiftly pointed the device in the same direction that the reporter was staring. Outside the building's entrance, the camera began filming the scene of the man who was so hysterical that he didn't notice the SWAT officer in the dark brown uniform who quickly grabbed him. The panting man yelled out and tried to resist without realizing who he was held by, all to no avail as he was quickly pulled towards the nearest SWAT van and then disappeared behind a line of uniformed agents.

"Is that...?", Summer thought out loud next, her attention still diverted past the side of the van, as the camera momentarily looked at her, and then back at the scene ahead, "Oh my... It _is_!".

Without having to ask what she was referring to, the cameraman and the technician noticed that Batman and Nightwing were standing next to Police commissioner Gordon, in an eager conversation with the middle-aged man. Gordon even diverted attention away from his own staff to speak to the masked crimefighters, as was his known style, whether that was a practice that people were fond of or one that they disliked.

"_That's_ something new, ain't it?", the cameraman chuckled while still keeping the machine focused on the mysterious individuals, "I mean, in _broad_ daylight?".

"You said it", Summer whispered back without realizing it.

The young woman roughly rubbed her eyes. She told herself that noise which came from every direction, in addition to the sun that burned in a cloudless sky above, must've been confusing her. That's because for a brief moment, Summer had thought that she spotted an invisible man whose outline she could see through. The being was only near the Batman and Nightwing for an instant, and it was gone by the time she was finished rubbing her eyes.

But that was crazy, of course, the journalist smiled to herself for thinking she had seen something so foolish. How could she have seen an invisible man anyway? That made no sense.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

+1 minute later+

"Ten minutes! Not a moment longer!", commishioner Gordon repeated as Batman and Nightwing proceeded away from the clusters of armed SWAT officers, cautiously approaching the entrance of the Weyland building.

"Understood", the older crimefighter replied in a more even tone as he threw one last glance over his shoulder and ignored the surrounding noise pollution, making eye contact with the older man, "If we're not out by then, you have my blessing to storm the place".

"Will do just that", the gray-haired commissioner promised as he watched the pair moving away, hoping that he wasn't making a mistake that would cost both individuals their lives.

Gordon was still debating the decision he had just made in his own mind, even after the two masked men had snuck into the ground floor lobby, thus disappearing in the building. Granted what Batman had said was correct, that a small counter-attack force fighting a few aliens would make it safer for the civilians who were still trapped in that building. But Gordon had preferred to send in dozens of armed cops instead, ready to decimate any monsters who were found in that area, the better to insure the survival of his own men in the process.

In the end, he had reached an impromptu compromise with the caped crusader - that Batman and Nightwing would attempt to incapacitate the monsters who were in the building in ten minutes. If they failed, then Gordon's idea of storming the place would be initiated.

He just hoped this wasn't the last time he was seeing the two masked protagonists. And come to think of it, he also wished that there was something for him to do in the next ten minutes, other than waiting and holding his breath, that is.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

+30 seconds later+

"OK then, let's make the next nine and a half minutes matter", Nightwing cracked his knuckles while visually surveying the huge lobby, grimacing at the sight of several bloodied corpses which covered the floor and two which lay on the receptionist's desk.

He noted to himself that the closed door behind him at least kept most of the noise out of this grisly area, even as three more doors were closed here, all of them leading from the lobby to adjoining rooms deeper into the building. It was while he remained shoulder to shoulder with Batman, just a handful of yards away from each other, that Red pressed a sequence of buttons on his armor and became fully visible near the two men.

The masked hunter's scan told him that the numerous humans who were immobile on that ground floor area were all dead, as their body temperature had dropped recently, and the giant couldn't sense any of their heart rates. So the extra-terrestrial soon set his sights deeper within the lobby, and tensed up as he and his two human companions spotted a Xenomorph which broke through one of the closed doors and then rushed towards them.

Red swiftly took two steps ahead the Earth natives, withdrawing his rusted circular blade and then launching it at the four-legged antagonist. The airborne weapon flew in an intercept course for the monster's neck, aiming to decapitate the beast in its tracks. Except that the Xenomorph ducked its upper body at the last possible moment and the blade harmlessly passed over the top of its head before lodging inside a wall.

A moment of surprise was all the three fighters had time for before the alien tackled the Predator and pinned the hunter down back-first on the floor. It hissed and tried to bite Red's head and torso, attempting to claw with its front legs in the process, while the Predator instinctively gripped its forward two limbs and prevented it from delivering a successful attack.

As that occurred, Batman and Nightwing moved as one, each human rushing to either side of the deadly stalemate on the floor. The younger crimefighter stood on the right side of the two horizontal extra-terrrestrials, while the caped crusader positioned himself further away to their left, directly in front of a glass-covered box which contained an ax and was located in the wall. Batman sent his bent, right elbow into the glass, shattering it with ease, and then removing the large ax from within that compartment. In the meantime, Nightwing mustered as much strength into his legs as possible while he kicked the Xenomorph's head, successfully knocking the beast off Red and sending it rolling on the floor and in Batman's direction.

The black-skinned monster angrily stood back up, visually targeting the human who had dared to kick it off its previous prey and, in doing so, turned its back to Batman. It was the only opening the masked human needed as he raised the ax over his own head with both hands, lifting the weapon in a vertical motion, before swinging it downward on the back of the alien's skull. The sharp end of the ax buried itself in the beast's head and caused it to simultaneously hiss and spit before it blindly swung its upper limbs and then crashed on its stomach, dead as soon as it landed on the floor.

The Predator climbed back to his feet while Batman carefully stepped over the Xenomorph carcass that was bleeding acid out of its skull, eating a hole through the floor in the process. It was just as the three individuals moved closer together, fulfilling the mandate to not physically separate unless they absolutely had to, that another screech was heard.

A second Xenomorph burst through a second closed door, revealing the area behind it to be an ascending staircase. This new monster dashed straight for Batman, but before it came close to its target, Red prompted a 14-inch long sword to be extracted past the top of both his wrists, replacing the shorter, twin blades that had been cut off or melted a few days ago. With the Xenomorph reaching for one of his human companions, the hunter swung his right arm, the blade that was there decapitating the beast. The Xenomorph's loud hisses were instantly stopped as its headless body flopped on the floor and its removed head bounced a few feet away. While that occurred, Red's two blades were smoothly retracted to their usual position over the top of his forearms, the right knife showing no damage from its contact with the Xenomorph's acid blood.

Proving that the building may truly have been infested with monsters, a third Xenomorph rushed through the staircase's open doorway. The only difference between this monster and the two that had preceded it, however, was that it was carrying a live human being in its front limbs. Seeing the three individuals who were standing while two of its brethren were dead, the third beast decided against engaging its adversaries. Instead, it rushed away from them, heading towards the closed elevator that was at the end of the large lobby. The terrified middle-aged man that it held reached for the three individuals in the same fashion that someone who was drowning would reach for a life preserver. He clearly recognized the identity of the two humans, and didn't care who the giant behind the metal mask was, as long as he was someone different from the behemoth who was carrying him the same way that a child would carry a toy. Unfortunately for him, the retreating Xenomorph proved to be faster than any of the three beings who were trying to grab a hold of his extended arms.

"OH GOD! HELP ME! PLEEEEAAAASE!", were the only words out of the man's mouth before the third Xenomorph bolted through the elevator door that consisted of two vertical, metal halves, actually breaking the barrier with its body before it moved into the elevator itself.

With the Predator and the two humans in pursuit, the Xenomorph carried its hostage past the elevator ceiling, easily destroying this weaker barrier, and then launched itself into the dark elevator shaft that was above it. But just before it disappeared into the shadows within that vertical corridor, Batman reached the inside of the elevator before his two partners and aimed a small gadget at the retreating monster. The caped crusader fired a miniature tracking device which glued itself at the back of the Xenomorph's rear left leg, and the beast disappeared from view a moment afterwards.

With Nightwing and Red now near him, Batman withdrew a tiny screen that showed a green dot that beeped and proceeded from one end of the monitor to another.

"It's going for the roof!", the older man uttered while putting the screen away, withdrawing a pre-pressurized grappling hook, while his former second-in-command did the same.

Both men pointed the climbing tool through the hole that the Xenomorph had created in the elevator ceiling, and Batman turned his head towards Red, wishing to ask him how long it'd take the Predator to meet them on the rooftop. Except that Red hadn't waited to be asked, as the hunter was already dashing towards the staircase. The Predator rushed through the broken door and disappeared past it, as both humans could hear his heavy footsteps while he hurried upstairs.

For now, at least, it seemed that the team had to be physically separated.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

+1 minute later+

Red reached the rooftop quicker than any human could've run, hurrying through the last door which finally allowed him to feel sunlight, which meant he was finally at his destination. He was panting through his mask as he visually surveyed the flat expanse that was approximately thirty yards long on each side and shaped like a square. It occurred to the hunter that he should've retrieved his circular blade out of the wall before coming up here, since his shoulder-fired cannon was still inoperative, which meant that the frisbee blade was his only projectile weapon.

There was no time for worrying over past mistakes now, though, especially since the Predator saw that Batman and Nightwing were standing in the middle of an hive of at least two dozen cocooned humans that were attached to the ground here. Those cocooned people had nothing in common except for the fact that they were all unconscious and attached to the flat concrete below them. Their gender, age and race varied, as did their clothes, differing from business suites, casual clothing, and some rags that identified their wearers as being homeless. Recognizing the Xenomorphs' nest, Red cautiously approached the two living humans, both blades extracted past the top of his wrists.

"What _is_ this damn place?", Nightwing asked with a revolted expression on his face as the hunter came closer to them.

"Xenomorrrph nesting area, where prey is storrred as fffood and as breeding for egg-hatcherrrs", Red explained as the three of them moved to keep themselves in a triangle, so no one's back was exposed to an attack, "They mossst likely preferred this grounnnd due to the constant access ttto ultraviolet nourishment from this plllanet's star".

"Oh! Disgusting!", Nightwing exclaimed as they soon came across a gathering of about twenty unhatched Xenomorph eggs.

"We can destroy them later", Batman mentioned, predicting the younger man's thoughts, "For now, we need to worry about where the alien went".

"How did all these people _get_ here!", the younger man kept thinking out loud as they continued surveying the area for signs of life, hostile or otherwise.

"I'm guessing they were carried", his mentor quietly explained from nearby, "Probably over the outside of the building, and anyone who happened to stumble upon this nest most likely also met their guardians".

"So no one who saw it got to go back to tell the tale", the younger crimefighter angrily gritted his teeth.

Movement from the other side of the rooftop caught the caped crusader's attention, prompting him to turn his gaze in that direction. Batman spotted a human who was crawling on his hands and knees, moving away from the edge of the roof and staggering towards them. It didn't take him long to identify the stunned individual as the middle-aged man who had been carried up here in the grip of the third Xenomorph. So as the man in the expensive and bloodied clothes shakily rose to his feet and began staggering towards them, the questions in Batman's mind remained - Where was the third Xenomorph? And if this place was supposed to be the aliens' hive, were there others like it?

"It left me here!", the middle-aged man's voice shook as he came closer to his three rescuers, "I don't know _where_ it went! Why did it leave me? Why!".

Almost as if answering the question, scores of Xenomorphs who were obviously lying in wait just over the edge of the roof rushed past the top of the vertical wall that they had been clinging to and quickly crawled to the middle of the rooftop. Angrily hissing, they proceeded closer to the cocooned humans and the eggs, in addition to the three creatures who had proven to be such a burden to their kind on the ground floor lobby.

The executive who was within a few yards of Red stopped and instinctively dropped to his knees, screaming out in horror as he was confronted with at least fifty nightmare creatures, instead of the one who had wrecked havoc in his conference room before abducting him. It soon occurred to him that the monster hadn't simply forgotten him and left him behind by accident. Rather, the beast had placed him there as a trap for the three rescuers to follow, the better to deal with those dangerous fighters when it was in the company of many of its kin, as opposed to facing them alone. That much was clear, as the monsters had the four of them surrounded, and the creatures covered every surface of the rooftop, except for the areas that contained either coccooned bodies or eggs on them.

The two crimefighters became more tense at the realization of the situation they were in. As they did, the third living human at the scene kept holding the sides of his head and crying while his face was lowered to the ground, preferring to not see the fatal blow that one of the monsters was about to deliver against him. None of those three people spotted Red as the Predator swiftly opened an electronic compartment that was attached to his left arm and began punching in a code with his right index finger. But then, a familiar ringing tone was heard from that machine, one that became faster as time went on. So that attracted Batman's and Nightwing's attention even while the aggressive Xenomorphs crept closer to their prey, none of them eager to blindly rush into battle against adversaries who had killed several of their kind before.

"Take himmm and go!", Red curtly ordered while pointing towards the kneeling human with his index finger, "I'll hollld them back as lonnng as possible!".

"Bats?", Nightwing whispered his partner's name, then locked eyes with the older man in regards to their plan of action.

The caped crusader was still reviewing the options in his mind, without preferring any of the ideas he was able to present himself with, when a new, whirring sound distracted everyone there, including the Xenomorphs who had the four individuals surrounded.

The three humans, the Predator and the multitude of aliens looked up as a gigantic aircraft that was at least as large as the rooftop became visible while it hovered about twenty yards above the roof itself. The three humans felt temporarily astounded at the sight of the magnificent ship, while Red simply groaned at immediately recognizing the craft that had been his home for more years than he could recall.

For now, though, several doorways appeared on the side of the spaceship, and each cubicle contained a masked Predator who aimed down at the roof with his personal shoulder-carried weapon. The explosive sound of projectiles being fired followed, the Predators' cartridges finding their mark against the Xenomorphs with deadly accuracy and massacring the four-legged creatures where they stood.

Nightwing and Red ducked for cover amid the carnage as Batman swiftly covered the civilian with his own body, all four beings trying to tune out the sound and smell of the projectiles, in addition to the shrill screams of Xenomorphs who were being slaughtered. The massacre was finished within a few seconds, so the Predators' weapons were finally silenced, and the four individuals on the rooftop slowly and carefully stood back up. They inspected their surroundings as most of the Xenomorphs were dead, and those who were not were gravely wounded, so it was enough of a turn of events for Red to shut off the self-destruct mechanism on his uniform.

As a follow-up to the aerial assault, eight Predators leapt out of the spaceship's open doorways, landing hard on the few clear spaces on the roof, and setting down safely despite the twenty yards they had to jump. Once on the roof, the eight hunters purposefully walked among the Xenomorph corpses, eagerly executing any stray alien who had only been wounded by their previous attack.

Once the clean-up was completed and all the four-legged beasts were confirmed dead, the eight masked extra-terrestrials then turned their attention on the three humans and the rogue Predator. They carefully made their way past the melting pools of acid that were the result of their aggression. They also scanned the many cocooned humans who were either unconscious or dead on the ground through their metal masks in the process. Then, two of the new hunters squatted next to two of the insentient humans and released those beings from their cocooned restraints, then easily carrying the humans on their shoulder as they stood back up.

As that happened, the six other Predators roughly grabbed Red, Batman, Nightwing and the fourth man who was on the rooftop with them. Two of the giants concentrated on the rogue from their ranks, two on the caped crusader, and one paid attention to each of the last two humans there. Those four individuals only gave a small amount of resistance, noticing that the eight hunters weren't looking to kill them on the spot, since the Predator ship that was hovering overhead was now lowering an inclined ramp towards their position. So for whatever reason, the extra-terrestrials within that spacecraft seemed to wish to have these four individuals and the two humans who were still unconscious as guests. Thus, the rogue Predator, his two human allies, the human who was rescued, and the two persons who were carried on a hunter's shoulder were dragged aboard the inside of an aircraft that had only been seen by Red before.

It was only when the group of fourteen individuals were within the interior of the spaceship that the ramp was electronically pulled back. That left the interstellar craft to hover about twenty yards over the rooftop that was still in the process of melting. From there, all eight Predators temporarily paid attention back on the roof that they had come from, and then aimed their shoulder-fired cannons. Batman was the first to notice their intentions, and verbally screamed a protest to prompt them to stop, but he was summarily ignored as the hunters opened fired, decimating the remaining humans who were still cocooned to the rooftop below. It was only a few seconds later that every other person who had been unconscious before was now massacred alongside their Xenomorph captors. The dead humans' pools of crimson blood quickly mixed with the monsters' acid and created a reddish-yellow liquid which kept eating at the concrete below. The last sight that was seen by the twelve conscious individuals was the one where the rooftop finally collapsed due to the effect of the acid melting its foundation, the entire area dropping further into the building itself, crushing whatever may have been on the floor below it.

The grim task completed, the eight Predators then pushed their four, currently more agitated, captors forward, forcing them to move through corners and hallways that were the color of fire, with primeval paintings and statues on the walls. After being marched for a few moments, the six prisoners were brought to what appeared to be the spaceship's main control room. In contrast to the previous corridors, this chamber was modern and technologically advanced, as opposed to the primitive design of the earlier areas. It indicated the mixture of two, very different cultures that were prevalent in the Predators' history.

Here, the crimefighters and Red found themselves in front of several other Predators who were working on computer systems to apparently keep the craft afloat, including the crimson-masked hunter who had fought Batman several days ago. Two of the giants put the two comatose humans down on the ship's floor, while the other six forcefully prompted the three live humans and the rogue hunter to kneel against the captives' wishes. It was only when the four of them were securely kneeling on the metal floor that the Predator chief turned away from the machinery and addressed the Earth natives.

"You still wish for mmme to speak in their lannnguage, rascal?", the giant in the crimson mask addressed Red first while casually pointing towards Batman, "Then let the lassst words you hearrr _be_ in their tongue. You!".

The leader mentioned towards one of the eight Predators who had brought the six beings into the ship, who promptly raised his masked face towards his chief, awaiting a question or an order.

"Why arrre they here? Why have they not been ellliminated on sight?", the chief demanded.

The Predator soldier who had been asked the questions began responding in his native language, before his leader promptly interrupted him.

"In their language!", the chief demanded.

"I apppologize", the lower-ranked hunter bowed serenely, not finding it as easy to speak in English, but trying hard regardless, "It is true that they have seen usss, and none of us forrrgot your orders to terminate all hummmans who have detected our presence. But my teammm and I found it questionnnable when these humans were seen by usss as they destroyed two of our adversarrries".

"How arrre you so sure of this?", the chief angrily shot back.

"We witnessssssed them doing so via the heating scannns", the Predator footsoldier quickly justified, "On the surface of the plannnet. So being uncerrrtain, we wished for their fate to bbbe decided by you".

The giant in the crimson masked sighed back through the metal visor, breathing hard as he looked down at the aircraft floor before then raising his head.

"Report status", he followed through.

"The last xenomorrrph nest has been annihilated", his follower recounted while bowing again, "That should be the last of our ennnemies on this plannnet".

"Injurrries?".

"None".

"Good", the chief seemed to relax slightly, "This leavvves us with…".

"Hey!", Nightwing screamed back, interrupting the behemoth's statement in the process, "As much fun as this is, why the _hell_ did you have your sasquatches mow down those people down there?".

"All the hummmans except for the ones we retrieved were infected", the lower-ranked Predator answered on the leader's behalf, though still addressing his crimson-masked chief while he pointed towards the two unconscious humans on the floor, "We scanned the ressst, found a Xenomorph embryo within each of their chessst cavity, in varying degrees of gestation".

"Those people could have been saved", Batman uttered back, sounding annoyed, which Nightwing knew meant that the older man was irate, but held back his disdain better.

The caped crusader's statement only caused the Predator leader to click and hiss as the giant temporarily turned his attention back to the computer monitor that was away from the prisoners. His action led the crimefighter to believe that the chief had nothing to say regarding that subject.

"I'm wondering", Batman followed through, curious about the situation he and his companions were in now, "Why weren't we dealt with as you expected. Why is the killing of a Xenomorph by us a mitigating factor when we're supposed to be eliminated on sight?".

"And what the hell are you people doing here anyway?", Nightwing continued as Red clicked angrily to himself, "You were supposed to have left four days ago when we saw you, no?".

The hunter chief screamed back in anger as he turned around to face the prisoners, suddenly causing the young human to widen his eyes as he thought that he had asked the wrong question. That was even as the civilian who had been found yelped in fear, though Batman's and Red's expressions did not change.

"We are _here_ because of ourrr blood oath against these aliens!", the giant in the crimson mask growled back as he pointed down at Batman with his right index finger, "Those animals snnnuck into our ship when I was duelling with him! We were ambushed when we returrrned on board. Many of our clan are not here as a resssult of it, so it is no longer a matter of honor. We will hunnnt those animals down till they are _all_ extinct! You humans no lonnnger matter while we hunt our eterrrnal enemies, and you will only die if you cross our paths during the Hunt. _That_ is why you should be dead nnnow".

"Ah, right", the youngest human sighed back, "Didn't know that. Well, then, you should, like, let us go for killing those Xenomorphs earlier, right? I mean, heh".

Nightwing gave a nervous chuckle as he finished speaking, absently scratching the back of his head as he talked, and prompting his Predator guard to roughly slap the human's hand away from that position.

The low growl they all heard from the Predator chief's location indicated to them that he wasn't seeing things from their point of view.

"Look! Wait! WAIT!", the civilian who had been brought into this spaceship spoke up, reflexively trying to rise from his kneeling position, before his masked sentinel gripped his left shoulder and forced him to kneel back down.

The chief's head spun in the man's direction, as did Red's and Nightwing's, as he was being heard for the first time.

"I have money, _lots_ of it! Hell, I'm a billionaire, OK?", the middle-aged man continued talking even while the Predator footsoldier kept a grasp on his left shoulder, "Maybe you people have… have heard of me? Robert Weyland? Well, that's _me,_ people! I have enough money between bank accounts and investments to buy a small country, OK?".

"You are _sorely_ missstaken if you believe we care for your wealth", the chief countered as he turned his attention back towards Red, the rogue Predator still foremost on his mind, "Now, SSSTOP ADDRESSING ME, human!".

The giant in the crimson outfit approached the rogue hunter, pointing down at the kneeling Predator in the process.

"You have _one_ chance to speak to mmme about…", he began talking as he locked eyes with Red.

"I'm not talking about paying you off!", Weyland angrily interrupted, trying to stand up again before his guard shoved him back to a kneeling posture, causing the hunters' leader to turn an agitated face towards him again, the chief considering the option of executing the annoying man, "For god's sake! I've been used to getting my own way all my life, and these damn _things_ come into _my_ building, killing my associates, my employees, my _friends_!".

The Predator chief slowly marched back to where Weyland was kneeling, the giant gripping his right hand into a fist, and ready to extract the twin blades past the top of his right wrist and to kill the human if Weyland said anything that he disliked. Looking down at the nervous businessman through the slits in his metal mask, he caused Weyland to swallow a lump in his throat as the human stared back up at him.

"Those things scared me shitless in my _own_ place!", the smaller being stuttered while gazing upwards towards the giant's face and blindly pointing in the direction where Batman, Nightwing and Red were being held nearby, "Until _they_ saved me. Now, now…".

He swallowed another lump in his throat, wishing his mouth wasn't suddenly so dry, as he had given hundreds of speeches in his life, but was now finding this conversation to be the most difficult of his life.

"Now, you let the six of us go, and I promise you that I'll spend _every_ last bit of my resources to hunt those damn things down!", Weyland passionately assured, gaining some confidence as he realized that what he was saying made sense, "You people can decide what you want more. Killing six of us and not affecting your war against these things at all, or letting us go and letting me help in your mission. Which do you want more?".

The lead hunter kept looking down at the middle-aged human, the former totally unreadable behind the mask as his body remained still, while the latter's face revealed tension as he breathed heavily. It was after several moments of awkward silence that the Predator chief suddenly raised his head and whipped it around as he turned away from the prisoners. A slight gesture via his right hand ordered two other giants to accompany him to an area that was a comfortable distance away from the rest of the soldiers, the lower-ranked leaders rapidly joining him without delay.

Once there, the behemoth in the crimson mask began addressing his two underlings in their own language, ignoring the eyes that were on them from the captives as well as their own fellow hunters.

"What're they saying?", Nightwing whispered as quietly as possible, though he suspected he was still loud enough to be overheard by his guard.

For whatever reason, his sentinel didn't move to silence him, possibly due to not having been ordered to do so by the chief. So Red kept his own eyes on the conversation ahead and tried to help his Earth companions understand what was being said.

"The firssst sub-leader wants you five executed regarrrdless of your actions against the Xenomorphs", the rogue Predator quickly translated as the first of the three hunters was speaking excitedly, switching his attention from his superior, then to the kneeling humans, then back to the chief.

The second hunter who was summoned added his own opinion for the leader's consideration after the first consultant was finished talking.

"The second does not care what happennns to you, as long as I'm dealt with properly", Red continued interpreting, "But he asserrrts that it was stupid for the Yaujtas to bring humans into our ship. You should die onllly because you have seen the inside of the ship. Otherrr beings having knowledge of our ship is dangerous. Essspecially when they are humans".

Once the second giant was finished speaking in a calmer fashion than his brethren, the chief in the crimson mask turned away from them both, leaning his fists against the nearest waist-high computer mainframe. He stayed silent for a few seconds, considering his options, before he shook his head, his metallic dreadlocks swinging behind him, and replied in his native language.

"He disssagrees", Red continued, "We could alwaysss use an ally in our hunt againssst these cowardly Xenomorrrphs, whether that ally is efficient or no. Not as if humansss have never seen the inside of one of our ships before and been allowed to leavvve afterwards".

His second lieutenant began to protest, before the chief turned around and held up his straightened left hand, elbow bent and the forearm pointing towards the ceiling. The gesture ordered his follower to be quiet, so both Predators bowed their heads in respect and walked backwards and away from their chief.

Alone once again, the leader slowly marched back towards the three kneeling humans, clicking to himself as he did, and pointed down at Batman first with his left index finger.

"You thrrree may go", the giant ordered, "Take your two insssensate members along".

Weyland exhaled loudly in relief as the caped crusader kept his eyes locked on the behemoth.

"We're not leaving without him", Batman uttered back, pointing towards Red and making the middle-aged man think that his relief was too early.

The Predator leader growled in response as he continued staring down at the crimefighter, then looked at his rogue soldier, and finally at Weyland himself.

"You had better not break your prrromise", the extra-terrestrial hissed while addressing the oldest human there, which caused Weyland to eagerly shake his head.

"Never! I told you guys", the businessman adamantly exclaimed, "I will personally see that every one of those…".

He stopped talking when the crimson-masked giant turned away from him and walked away from his four prisoners, proceeding towards the spaceship's controls.

"Get out, rassscal", he spoke to Red without looking at the hunter, "This place is for warriors only".

He stood in front of the aircraft's controls and turned around yet again so as to take one last look at the individuals who were about to depart.

"But we better _neverrr_ see any of you again", the chief warned as the humans were climbing to their feet, while an irate Red remained on his knees, "Xenomorph-hunterrrs or no, stay clear of my kind".

"Great. Five bucks says they don't redeploy the ramp and shove us out of the ship", Nightwing sighed as he saw Batman and Red carrying an unconscious human each, though still feeling glad for the turn of events, "Let's just get the hell out, OK, guys?".

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

+5 minutes later+

Having parted ways with an invisible Red with the intention to meet back in the Batcave, Batman and Nightwing had already handed their two unconscious victims over to some of the many paramedics who were throughout the lower half of Weyland's building. The man whose name was above the ground floor lobby had been whisked away by firefighters a few minutes ago so he could be treated for his minor injuries after being evacuated outside. So the two crimefighters found themselves back within the lobby, among dozens of Police officers, firefighters and paramedics. Ignoring the loud distraction caused by all those people, the caped crusader seeked the one person he had walked here to find.

"Commissioner", Batman called out so as to get Gordon's attention, which he did, as the older man watched the pair of masked men approaching.

"You're here late", Gordon uttered as Batman stood within an arm's reach of him, "Didn't expect you to still be hanging about".

"Only because there were two things I wanted to tell you, Jim", the caped crusader replied, "First, I believe all the monsters have been dealt with. But second, the entire roof has collapsed. Expect a lot of fatalities".

"Wonderful", Gordon sighed as he looked away, "Another day in this insanity. Just what nightmare _was_ it that started in this city four days ago?".

He looked back towards the two men who were having the conversation with him, and felt surprised. It's because, even though Batman and Nightwing were no longer there, the crimefighters hadn't disappeared altogether, as was usually their signature. Instead, the two masked men were simply walking towards the front door, casually passing dozens of others who were nearby. Must've been a sign of them both being physically or emotionally drained, the commissioner thought to himself, and then returned to his job.

From the front of the lobby, Batman's exit was interrupted when a group of new individuals came inside. These new people easily stood out from everyone else as they wore shiny white outfits that covered every inch of their bodies, with the exception being silver-colored boots on their feet and a similarly-colored helmet that covered their head, a gray visor hiding their face. Instead of trying to evacuate or give assistance to civilians, they marched straight through, ignoring the dead humans and Xenomorphs. That wasn't a surprise, though, as they carried no first aid equipment, only seeming to be trying to secure the lobby they entered via the use of strange, individually-carried rifles that the crimefighters had never seen before.

One particular man in the group pointed towards each of the doors, prompting his soldiers to go through those entryways, his followers travelling in pairs. With a handful of silver-uniformed men securing the lobby, the attached rooms and the elevator, the rest of these soldiers quickly jogged upstairs.

Regardless of this recent arrival, Batman and Nightwing were ready to leave them to their mission as they ignored the newcomers and kept walking out, until a voice grabbed their attention from behind.

"Never thought I'd ever have the pleasure", the leader of the group veered away from the rest and made his way towards the caped crusader.

As he was being addressed, Batman turned around from the front door that was just out of his reach and inspected the man who approached him, until finally standing a few feet in front of the crimefighter.

"Do I know you?", the caped crusader questioned first.

"Oh, no, I don't believe so", the visitor rested his weapon by his left side so it pointed towards the floor, as he removed the helmet with his right hand, revealing himself to be a middle-aged Black man, "Mike Hannigan, supervisor of the northeastern branch of Owl Team. We were dispatched to this great city of yours three days ago".

Hannigan switched his helmet from his right hand to his left, then extended his right hand to the crimefighter, which Batman slowly squeezed.

"Is there something we can do for you?", the masked man inquired.

"You tell _me_", Hannigan informed them both, "I suppose you guys don't know who we are, classified shit and all. Technically, I'm not supposed to tell you this, but I have this feeling about you guys. We're alien hunters. And I don't mean those weird things back there".

He partly turned around, pointing towards the nearest dead Xenomorph.

"But it seems you've already safeguarded your city against _their_ menace", the older man continued, "Which is why I'm wondering if you can tell us anything about the whereabouts of _another_ alien. You know what I'm talking about? About seven feet tall, wears a mask to hide one _uglyass_ face, speaks broken english? Does any of this ring a bell?".

Batman and Nightwing looked at each other out of the corner of their eye, before the caped crusader returned his full attention at the government agent in front of him.

"Can't say that it does", Nightwing lied first, "We haven't seen anyone like that in here. Sorry".

"Really?", Hannigan's voice made it obvious that he didn't believe them, "So tell me, youngster. Which one of these animals that you so efficiently dispatched of was carrying _that_?".

He casually walked past the two crimefighters, to an area of the wall that was about thirty feet away, and carefully removed Red's rusted frisbee blade, dislodging it from the foundation.

Nightwing kept his face neutral, fighting the urge to appear that he'd been caught in a lie, even as Hannigan returned to the position in front of them, now carrying the extra-terrestrial weapon.

"So you were in this building, fighting for you life _probably_ the whole time, and you didn't see who was using this?", the Owl leader inquired.

"Afraid so", the younger man shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, if you were inside throughout the ordeal, then I guess you didn't see the ship that decloaked above this building and then flew off a few minutes ago either", Hannigan continued.

"We were in the elevator shaft most of the time", Batman joined the conversation, lightly placing his hand on Nightwing's upper back as a way of leading the younger man outside.

"But tell me this, Mr Hannigan", the former second-in-command frustrated his efforts to end the discussion by insisting on standing his ground, "What's _your_ business with these aliens? The other ones, I mean".

The government agent locked eyes with him first, then Batman second, and finally returned to silently looking at Nightwing, before a grin appeared on his face.

"Isn't it obvious?", he kept smiling as he answered, "I hunt them. Or, should I say, _we_ do. It's always a team effort with us. I guess you guys know all about that, though".

"And what's with the gettup and the funny-looking toy?", Nightwing questioned next, more anxious to find out about the people that Red may have to contend with one day in the future.

"The clothes make us all but invisible to the Predators' different eyesights", Hannigan explained, looking over his shoulder to quickly see his men's status, then returning to the conversation upon realizing that all was safe, "That's what those things are called - Predators. Or Preds for short, or shitheads. Depends on who you talk to. They're here to kill us, so we try to kill them first. And as for this toy...".

He raised the rifle-sized weapon so it was now pointing towards the ceiling instead of the floor.

"It's the Assault Rocket Launcher, Arol, if you prefer", he proudly smirked again, "Carries two 40 millimeter rounds per weapon, but you only need _one_ round to drop a shithead like a bad habit, and to make sure he _never_ gets up again".

"Huh, never knew the federal government cared so much about its citizens that it'd finance you guys", Nightwing added next, sarcasm evident in his voice.

"Yeah, right", Hannigan followed through with another smirk, "If you believe that, then I have a bridge I wanna sell to you, goes by the name of Golden Gate. My bosses just want these aliens' technology, guys. You should've _known_ that. But good thing is that they don't care _what_ I do to the shitheads either before or after, as long as I get their goodies first. It's what I call a win-win situation for me and my employers".

"We need to get going", Batman patted Nightwing on the arm, harder this time, to indicate his point, which the young man fortunately complied with and nodded towards the government agent before walking towards the lobby door.

The caped crusader nodded next, following his former sidekick towards the exit, and leaving the older man to return to his job. It was only when Nightwing was halfway out the door that he turned around and raised his voice, the grin on his face indicating he was scheming to do something that only he would find to be funny.

"They're not all bad, you know!", the young man yelled out before Batman pushed him outside of the lobby with an annoyed expression on his face, ignoring the fact that Hannigan had heard what was uttered.

Once the two crimefighters were outside, they made their way through the disorganized ruckus that consisted of their environment, the reserved distance that the Police and other emergency services had kept earlier in the siege no longer in effect. Dozens of cops, paramedics and firefighters were swarming in and out of the Weyland Corporation headquarters, along with the occasional reporter and cameraman who slipped in, not being kept away from the scene as they should have.

Batman and Nightwing were happy to leave everyone else to their task, walking away from the noise and heading back to where they knew the Batmobile was in wait, the quicker to meet Red back in the Batcave later.

It was an odd scene that caught the older man's attention as he was proceeding further from the building, which was a group of government agents, this time dressed totally in black, which even covered their masked faces. These new individuals, eight in total, exited a large van that was parked outside the place where the Xenomorphs' attack had occurred. But it was the appearance of the van which distracted Batman's gaze first, appearing to be more reinforced on the outside than even the sturdiest SWAT transporter.

Leaving their vehicle, the eight men first placed a miniature cage that was the size of a small room outside the van, and then six of the black-clad agents jogged inside, more strange weapons at the ready. In any other place and time, the presence of a massive cage that sat next to the sidewalk, being guarded by two masked men, would've probably attracted attention. But for today, the surrounding mayhem distracted everyone around the strange sight, at least on the short run.

The last thing Batman saw through the damaged doorway that led to the Weyland Corporation's lobby was something that initially surprised him, but he then narrowed his eyes as he proceeded away from that busy place.

"Who were _those_ guys? More Owls?", Nightwing thought out loud as they reached a relatively quieter section of the street, catching a glimpse of the Batmobile ahead as the car was resting in an alleyway, secured in its exoskeleton.

"I don't know", the caped crusader responded as he reached within his uniform and pressed a button which de-activated the vehicle's external protection, "I don't _think_ so. As far as I can tell, Hannigan wants to kill Predators, and gather their technology to keep his employers happy. Those men definitely weren't his crew".

"How do you know for sure?", the young man inquired as he climbed into the front passenger seat.

"For starters, their clothes were designed for stealth in the darkness, not invisibility to a Predator's masked vision", the older man explained as he settled down behind the steering wheel, "And more importantly, I didn't see a single one of them interacting with Hannigan's men".

Batman started the engine, the stern look on his face indicating that something heavier was on his mind, even after the carnage he had witnessed a few minutes ago.

"What?", his second-in-command wondered aloud as the vehicle turned a semi-circle and rejoined the road, "What's that look, Bats? What did you see?".

The more experienced crimefighter stayed silent for an instant as he tried to recall the meaning of what he had truly witnessed through the broken lobby door.

"They were checking for the dead Xenomorphs' vital signs", Batman finally uttered, keeping his eyes on the road, "Leads me to believe they're trying to get their hands on one of those monsters, and cage it while it's still alive".

"Whaaat?", Nightwing's mouth fell open as his gaze remained on his former teacher, "Who in their right mind would wanna do _that_? And _why_?".

"That's what _I'd_ like to know", the driver gritted his teeth as the Batmobile raced towards the Wayne mansion.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

+1 day later+

"I could use a sandwich, Harl", Nightwing lazily reached for the Arkham psychologist as the young woman was carrying a large tray full of different kinds of food on it.

"Coming right up", the blonde proceeded towards him as bats flew overhead in the Batcave, being careful not to trip as she walked in the direction of the weightbench that he had been lying on.

"Much obliged", the crimefighter smiled as he sat up and removed an egg sandwich and a banana off the tray.

To his surprise, the doctor remained standing in front of him as he started eating.

"Something on your mind?", he asked next with a full mouth.

"Just waiting for your patented try to take the whole plate and leave one item for everyone else in here", Harley followed through.

"Oh, please!", Nightwing shrugged, "Just stay nearby for when I'm finished. And turn the volume up, will you?".

"Of course", she smiled as she turned away from the young man and walked towards where Batman was still seated in front of the computer mainframe, constantly typing away at his keyboard, even while he refused to remove the costume he had on.

Moving past the older crimefighter, she gave him a quick kiss on the forehead, which he barely acknowledged due to staring at the monitor, and then increased the volume of the only television set within the dark cavern. She thought to herself that at least her consort wasn't hungry just now.

"I _am_ glad you are recovering since the operation, mistress Harley, but I just _don't_ feel right with you carrying that", Alfred pointed out from near the CPU, raising his two arms, palms turned towards the ceiling, and asking to carry the food instead.

"Don't worry about it, Alfie", she smiled back, "Besides, it helps me coordinate how I walk. Haven't been on my feet for _ages_, it feels like".

"Very well", the butler returned to a fully upright position, his arms by his sides, "But don't call me Alfie. It's Alfred, ma'am".

"It's that guy Weyland, from yesterday", Nightwing mentioned as he moved off the weightbench and joined his mentor by the CPU, "He's out of the hospital. Remember him, Bats? Leslie _said_ she treated him at the hospital. It was her run-in with a celebrity, the second-richest man this side of the country, behind only you, Bruce".

The caped crusader only moaned as he nodded his head once. Seeing that he wasn't in the mood for a conversation, the younger man patted him on the upper back and moved towards where Red remained seated on a flat stone a few yards away.

"Good to see he's still in one piece, huh?", the less experienced crimefighter pointed towards the television set as he approached the hunter.

The Predator only looked at the moving images, clicked to himself, and lowered his head towards his own stomach. He then lifted his gaze towards the smaller human who was within an arm's reach of him.

"Your technology is anciennnt", the unmasked extra-terrestrial growled at last.

"Hey, don't look at _me_", Nightwing protested, placing his right palm against his torso, "We do our best with what we got. But I still haven't asked you. How do you like those blades I fixed on your arms? Stainless steel _and_ acid-proof, you know. You played with them for the first time yesterday, I remember. Totally forgot to ask you how they performed when we got back home".

"They arrre more than adequate", Red bowed his head again before lifting it back up, "You have my grrratitude".

"So this prehistoric technology is good for _something_ after all, huh?", Nightwing grinned proudly to himself as he partly turned away from the giant and addressed the other three humans behind him.

The young man tapped his own forehead with his right index finger.

"College grad and all", he continued smirking before he became more serious and returned his attention back to the seated hunter.

"I'll _try_ to work on a new battery source for your invisibility cloak as soon as I can", the human promised, "Not sure how well I'll be able to do this, though. It's a hell of a lot more complicated than a couple of retractable new-age knifes. But if you let me play with your toys, I _may_ be able to put together a rechargeable battery pack you'll be able to use for your cloak, so you'll never have to worry about running out of it. But no matter what, you should _definitely_ not leave the Cave without your invisibility. Not with Hannigan and his boys gunning for your kind".

"I do nnnot fearrr those humannns you described", the hunter hissed, "Or annnything else, for that matter".

"It's not a matter of being afraid of them, Red", Nightwing advised, "But when there's several of them and only one of you, it could easily be a problem. And it's worse because those Owl guys aren't bad guys. They're only gung ho because Preds kill _us_ all the time. So no having you and them hurting each other, OK?".

The giant lightly moaned in response. He clearly wasn't happy about the restriction that was being suggested to him. Predators never ran away or hid, after all.

Then again, till recently, Predators never allied with humans, either.

"Tell you what", the young man worked quickly to soothe the conflict in the leviathan's mind, "You avoid fighting with Owls, and I'll see what I can do about fixing your shoulder gun. Deal? Mind you, I don't know how much I _can_ do to fix broken alien technology, but I'm sure Bats there would be happy to put some of the best engineering minds money can buy to help me, till it gets fixed".

"Are you volunteering my services without my consent?", Batman spoke up while still typing away as Harley and Alfred switched between the conversation there and the news on the television.

"Oh, please!", Nightwing countered while turning only his head towards his mentor, and then switching back to Red, "He loves giving stuff away. Really, he does".

"I havvve a dilemma", the Predator now claimed, his eyes looking up and locking with the standing human's.

"Sure, man", Nightwing replied, "What's that?".

"I am not unnnderstanding the concept of this social contrrract that you talk of", the giant explained, "As such, I will just let you decide who you wissshhh for me to hunnnt and who you wish for me to ssspare. I will merely follow yourrr orders".

The young crimefighter's eyes widened as his mouth remained closed, having been unprepared for what he just heard. He absently scratched the back of his head as he looked at Red, then back to Batman, then Harley, then Alfred, and then back to Red again.

"I... Wow...", he stammered, "I mean, sure. I'd be happy to. I mean...".

He didn't find it strange that the Predator had momentarily looked away from him and stared at the other three humans who were a short distant away.

"Nightwing", Batman called for his former sidekick's attention as he stopped typing and finally switched his full attention to the less experienced fighter.

"Huh?", the young man turned his head towards the caped crusader again.

"He's not being serious", the older man smirked.

Harley and Alfred giggled to themselves, the young woman covering her mouth as Nightwing quickly stared back down at the sitting giant. A sharper hiss was emerging from the Predator's square-shaped jaw as he was laughing for the first time since they had known him.

XXXXXXXXXXX

+1 hour later+

"Dad, you _can't_ be serious about this", the young man protested in the large business room, sitting on one of the many chairs that surrounded the oval, oak table, as his father remained on his feet, himself paying attention to the middle of the table.

"Sean, please", Robert Weyland breathed in and out, feeling emotionally exhausted, even if he was physically fine, "I need you to understand this, son. I'm doing this for _all_ of us".

"How's _that_?", his firstborn countered, "Giving away our inheritance money to a bunch of total strangers is supposed to _benefit_ Michelle and me?".

"Son, retirement was something I was going to have to do sooner or later anyway", his father explained as he gathered several notebooks into his briefcase and closed the container, "And your sister won't care. I'm surprised _you_ are, to be honest".

"You're giving away _our_ inheritance and you're surprised I'm reacting like this!", Sean shot back incredulously.

The middle-aged man sighed as he remained standing, looking down at his closed briefcase for a few moments before placing the metal container on the floor. He walked closer to his son and relaxed on the chair that was closest to where the younger person was seated. Reaching for his son's hand, Weyland gave a small smile as he squeezed Sean's left fingers once they were offered.

"Son, I _really_ don't want to be fighting you on this", he started talking, "In fact, I want you on my side. See... I'm trying to put this into words".

He stopped to breathe in and out again before he continued.

"I've been in this damn business since college, interning, then working after graduation", Weyland went on, "Computers, processors, chips, made for and then sold to the highest bidder. All so I can make more money than the next guy, or more money than I made yesterday. But it's now hitting me that I'm 53 years old, and except for you and Michelle, what have I really accomplished? Your mom hated me for _years_ before she died, and who really _cares_ about anything I achieve here? How many lives have I touched and improved for the better? So some businesses and middle and upper-class families get better computers. So what? How is _that_ making the world a better place?".

"Since _when_ do you care about that!", his son suddenly pulled his own hand back, "Hello! Remember bugging me to be a business major in school? Because it's where all the damn money is, and you can't do shit in this world _without_ money?".

His father lowered his head and quickly nodded several times in confirmation that he had said those things in the past.

"I was wrong, I know that now", Weyland explained, "Of course you need money to survive. But it's not how expensive your house is at the end of the day that matters, son. It's how many lives you improve while you're in this world".

"Dad, if that bald spot on your head wasn't spreading farther every day, I'd think you'd been kidnapped and then replaced by a shapeshifter", Sean sighed back as he eased back into his chair.

The older man laughed at the statement, which was then cut off when his son slammed an open right palm on the top of the table.

"_Don't_ try to pretend that you're suddenly some damn holier-than-thou missionary after all the whoring you did for profit!", the young man exclaimed.

"No, I'm not, I'm really not", his father shook his head, "But Sean...".

He placed his own hands over his son's, keeping the young man's hand between his own palm and the surface of the table below.

"I was wrong", he sighed, working hard to find the right words as he locked eyes with his heir, "And damnit, I'm trying to undo the wrongs I've done before it's too late! Look, this business, _our_ business, is worth almost eight hundred _million_ dollars. And that's for me, you and Michelle. What in the world are we planning to spend all that _on_, huh?".

"So you just woke up this morning and decided it'd be more fun to give it all away and live as a bum on the sidewalk", Sean shot back, keeping his hand underneath his father's, "Am I correct here? _That's_ your master plan?".

"No, of course not", Weyland explained with a small smile, "I'll _never_ avoid caring for you and your sister, son. I'm putting together a fund that's available for you both, starting today. Five million dollars for each of you, to live your lives as you wish. But the rest _has_ to go to make other people's lives better, Sean. Please, _please_, understand that".

"So you wanna do a 180", Sean uttered back, calmer this time, as he withdrew his hand, "Fine. But _not_ till you tell me why, dad. And don't give me this crap about waking up and just _wanting_ to do all this all of a sudden".

"It wasn't overnight", his father corrected, "Well, I mean, it _was_, but it didn't happen for no reason, son. It was when I was attacked by those... _things_".

He stopped, suddenly having trouble talking, even though he had been the one to instigate the conversation with his son initially.

"I'm listening", Sean added, "Go on".

"Those things just _appeared_ yesterday, started killing _everybody_ they came across", Weyland recalled, feeling his throat tightening up, "And here I was, _so_ damn secure that I was untouchable. What was that I used to say like an idiot, Sean? We got the best security money can buy in our home and place of work?".

"Yeah, that's it", the younger man confirmed.

"Well, there was _no_ money in the world that was enough to convince people to put their necks on the line!", the older man continued, suddenly feeling bitter, "They killed _dozens_, Sean. I mean, the body count isn't even _finished_ yet because the damn roof collapsed and bodies are still being removed even now. And then one of those _things_ came after me. You know what? I called for security. They were dead. I called for anyone who could help me, they were either dead or running for their lives. I begged for my life, that monster didn't care! I don't care how much I got my boots licked by employees who were just wanting their weekly income, Sean, but no amount of money makes you cared for enough for someone else to run _after_ you when some FREAK of nature kidnaps you!".

"Uh huh", his son only responded.

"That thing _took_ me, Sean", Weyland's voice softened, "It took me from the first floor, all the way up to the rooftop. And it was fast as hell, too. It ran _upwards_, with me in its arms, past all those floors, in less than half a minute. I was _sure_ I was dead. And you know why I'm not?".

"No. Why not?", Sean asked.

"Batman and his two friends", the older man explained, "They saw me on the first floor, I yelled at them for help. No way did I think they were going to come after me. But they _did_, all three of them. They pursued the thing that had me since I was its hostage, even though they had _nothing_ to gain by putting themselves at risk like that. They didn't even _know_ me. Batman, Robin, or Nightwing, or whatever the second one's name is, and there was this _big_ guy with them, who had the strangest hair you've ever seen. But all three rushed after me, and it's because of _them_ that I'm still breathing and not monster food right now".

"Jesus Christ", Sean rubbed his face after being told everything his father had been through.

"I can't continue judging and treating people based on how much money they have, son", Weyland went on, "Please, I hope you understand this. I just can't. That'd be _such_ a slap in the face to my rescuers. And I was wrong to pressure _you_ and Michelle to go into business too, I realize that. Michelle's still finishing high school, so she's got plenty of time to use her five mil to do as she wants. And I want _you_ to quit your classes, Sean, assuming you want to, that is. You're only on your third year, anyway. You're still young. You don't _have_ to go into business. Take the money, live off it, decide what you want to do for yourself".

"Yeah, I suppose that makes sense", Sean locked eyes with him again, "And you, dad?".

"First, I'm paying all the casualties' families so they have enough to live on", the older man detailed his plan, "Then, I'm paying off my employees, letting _them_ retire after this company's finished. After that, I got two major things to do with the fortune. The first is to fund charities. I'm going to help people live their lives, rich or poor, and _especially_ if they're poor. None of this treating rich clients like royalty and walking over everyone else who's sleeping on sidewalks any more. The second is more personal. I'm funding a force to hunt down and destroy those things that attacked me and my employees, to destroy them wherever the _hell_ they may be".

"What? What for, dad?", Sean was surprised, "I understand the first, but what's with the vendetta? Those things that attacked you are dead, man".

"What if there's more where they came from?", Weyland countered, "First I need to find them, and then exterminate them".

He stood back up, placing a gentle grip on his son's right shoulder.

"Son, if a _few_ of those things wrecked such havoc on our city, just imagine what a larger number of them will do", the father went on, "I'm not letting that happen. Those things are dead where they live".

"OK, then count me in", Sean grinned back while standing up in his own turn and patting his father's hand.

"Really?", the smile on Weyland's face spread as his son embraced him for an instant before separating.

"Damn right!", the younger man stated, "No one's hurting my dad if I can help it. I _know_ what I wanna do. Screw college. Put me in charge of the team you're gathering to hunt those things, dad".

"Oh, god!", Weyland kept grinning as he hugged his child for the second time, "Thanks, Sean! You _really_ just made me the happiest man on the planet".

"Tell you what", the college student explained while physically parting again, "Go do what you need. _I'm_ gonna call Michelle and see when she can do lunch with us _old_ folks. It's been ages since the three of us did anything together".

"You got it, _son_!", the former businessman kissed Sean on the forehead before gripping his suitcase and walking towards the conference room exit, "I'm on my cellphone. Let me know when you two want to get together today".

"Will do, dad", Sean smiled back as he sat down and reached for the room telephone.

He looked to see that his father had left the room and the door was then closed behind the older man. It was only then that he picked up the receiver and dialled several numbers.

"Senile old fart", Sean thought out loud as he counted four rings before the person on the other end answered, "Yo, Joey! How's life in the government, dude?".

The man he had called began talking.

"Yeah, yeah", his interrupted the other person's answer, "Look, I really don't care. I was just being polite. Anyway, our computer projects are on hold because of my stupid dad… Joey? Joey... Stop talking, dude… Look, I may have something that's even _more_ exciting than our hardware".

The person he called began replying.

"I won't even bother making you guess this time, OK?", Sean stated after he let his associate finish speaking this time, "But let me ask you this. How much is Uncle Sam willing to pay for the ultimate weapon?".

He waited for a few seconds.

"Of course I'm talking about the aliens, you dweeb!", he continued, "So? How much for a _live_ specimen?".

He had to stop talking.

"I _know_ they're all dead in this city. That's why I'm asking you how much a living one would bring".

Another pause from his end.

"Oh, I'm sorry, we're not supposed to talk about them anymore", Sean went on with an annoyed expression on his face, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Those things don't exist as far as either one of us know. Yeah...".

The person on other end talked some more, and a smile soon appeared on the young man's face.

"That much, huh?", he asked, barely able to believe the sum he was told.


End file.
